The Dark Inside the Fading Light
by Macx
Summary: Eddie has no idea how they managed it, but they kidnapped him and his symbiote. Whoever 'they' are. And then they tore them apart. It hurt. A lot. Now Eddie has a catatonic symbiote, a concussion, a dislocated shoulder, a bum knee... and currently everything around him is going up in flames. He has had better days. Really...
1. Chapter 1

What the heck is happening to me?!

I read a few Spider-Man comics with Venom in it decades ago. Never liked the character.

Then the movie happened.

Which I haven't watched… only a ton of Eddie and Venom scenes floating around YouTube

And I'm not sure why, but it triggered this fic. Probably because I love symbiote fics. And definitely because Venom is kinda a likeable asshole… Damn!

I'm such a hopeless case.

XnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXNXnXN

The high-pitched screech echoed through the room, permeating his every cell down to a molecular level. It ate at his mind, tore apart his soul, and it shattered every cohesive thought into nothing but a pile of sludge.

Maybe he was screaming.

Maybe he didn't even have the energy to scream anymore as his tortured mind and soul gave in to the relentless bombardment of sound.

He had lost track of time and where he was a long time ago. He couldn't even tell if he was sitting, standing, or writhing on the ground. Given his luck, he was probably strapped down somewhere.

...

...

There was darkness.

...

...

Sensation returned gradually, creeping into his thoughts that weren't thoughts.

They came and went.

Just like the sensation of having a body and then again not.

XnXnXn

When he finally caught his first clear thought it consisted of curses and pain. The pain wasn't just a thought, it was a sensation that was getting stronger and stronger.

He groaned.

Something sharp spiked through him and the groan turned into a sharp gasp.

His fingers twitched.

Everything hurt.

So very, very much.

What happened?

He didn't know if he actually asked that question out loud, didn't even expect an answer, but it was something that bounced around his brain.

What had happened?

His memories were fuzzy, right down to his name.

Edward.

Eddie.

Right.

His name was Eddie.

He probably had a last name, but that was currently beyond his grasp. But he was Eddie, which was good. Then again, not so much.

Something had happened. Something was terribly wrong.

That sensation was almost overpowering, spreading through his hurting body, and he felt a wave of panic. It crashed against his mind, enveloped his soul, and he almost forgot to breathe.

Eddie. My name is Eddie. Eddie.

Something's wrong. Missing. Terribly absent.

He managed to blink his eyes open, the light around him making them water, and Eddie squeezed them shut.

His next attempt was a little more successful, but it took a while for his eyes to adjust. His head started to pound, the ache worse than the one in his knee, but not as bad as his right shoulder.

When he moved, all those aches and pains flared and he made a coughing sound. His throat was a sore mess, probably from screaming.

Why was he in pain?

What the fuck had happened to him?

Them…

Them!

He wheezed, breath rattling, unable to form the word, but his mind screamed for the other half of him.

There was no answer.

And he remembered the screeching sound, the sonic waves, and something inside of him twisted in sick horror and realization.

Venom…

There was nothing where he could always feel the symbiote. Nothing at all.

Eddie moved, but the sharp pain in his shoulder had him almost black out. He managed a weak whimper.

From somewhere there was a noise and Eddie tried to twist himself in a way that wouldn't make him black out.

It took ages, but he got himself on the side, on his good shoulder, and he managed to finally get a bearing of where he was. Well, mostly.

A sterile room, no furniture, not even a sink or a hole in the ground. Worse than any prison. With blank walls, except for the one glass wall that gave him a view to the outside.

It was a sickening reminder of the Life Foundation.

A rumble passed through the ground he lay on, felt down to his very bones, like an earthquake. Or an explosion.

Huh.

As if his thoughts were the trigger, lights flashed on the outside. Alarms. Followed by distant klaxons.

So… explosion. Right. But why?

The next explosion seemed to shake the very foundations of the building and there was a soft hiss from somewhere, like hydraulics releasing, and Eddie saw the door to his prison cell crack open.

Like all doors in his sight cracked open.

For a long moment he just lay there, almost in a stupor, not really comprehending what was happening, then the lights went out, plunging him into darkness.

The darkness lasted just a few seconds, then the lights flashed back on, green and eerie, and he was reminded of one of those old, cheap horror flicks he and Venom loved to watch at night.

Venom.

Right.

His symbiote.

Where the heck was he?

Eddie managed to get to his feet, flares of pain arching through his abused body, his knee refusing to take the full weight, and one arm was next to useless.

He stagger-stumbled to the door, wondering why no one was checking on the cells, but maybe everyone was busy handling whatever had caused the explosions. Better for him anyway. He was in no shape to fight even a fluffy bunny at the moment.

Clenching his teeth, Eddie limped out of the cell and tried to get his bearings in the weird light. His instincts said to go right and he usually followed them, especially when they ordered him around in a gravelly, sinister voice.

Right now there was only silence.

Well, trust yourself, he thought. Go right.

XnXnXnXn

He found his missing other half four doors down.

It was a lab section, eerily like the Life Foundation labs, and Eddie swallowed down bile at the memories of his one and only visit into the belly of the sick beast.

Venom was… Eddie blinked. Venom was just… there. Unmoving. Not even a pulse. Usually the symbiotic lifeform was full of life, always moving, never keeping a definite shape when outside a host, but this… this was just… darkness. A lump or dull, tar-like substance that Eddie still immediately identified as his missing symbiote.

He limped into the room, each step accompanied by a pulse of pain. His knee was barely able to support him by now and his shoulder was a mess of fire. Not to mention his head. He was about to throw up.

"Hey," he rasped.

No reaction.

Venom was trapped inside a clear case within a metal cage, hooked up to some kind of machinery with monitors, but the screen was dark. The case was locked, though.

"You look as bad as I feel, buddy," he muttered. "Which is saying something because you're always an ugly motherfucker."

Eddie examined the case, looking for a way to open it. His hands were shaking and the fingers of his right hand refused to cooperate. His shoulder screamed, his knee was simply one big ache, and his head was about to kill him any minute now.

There were more explosions rattling the building, with cracks forming in the concrete. Something suspiciously like thunder and lightning sounded not too far away.

Great. Fucking great!

Eddie hit a few buttons with his better hand, feeling his anger and anxiety mix.

He had to get out of here.

They had to get out of here!

There was a hiss and the cage opened. Finally!

As if that had been his cue, Venom sudden moved, making a growl-hiss sound. He flung himself out of the container, sharp tentacles lashing out at Eddie while other parts reached for any kind of purchase.

The blades struck his skin and drew blood.

Eddie felt the sting, but he didn't move back, then Venom was splattering onto the floor in a rather graceless fall. Tendrils of himself splayed out, almost limp. He pulsed weakly, trying to move away. It looked like had trouble coordinating, barely able to get a few inches until he collapsed into a black, pitiful pile.

Eddie limped closer, droplets of blood clinging to his fingers.

"Geez, parasite. You had more graceful days. You're a mess," he coughed. "So am I. Probably more than you. You got no bones to break. We gotta get out of here, so hop on the bus. Your ride's here."

There was no reaction.

Until the moment Eddie took the next step.

This time the lashing tentacles cut into his jeans.

"Damnit, Venom!" he groaned. "Cut it out! It's me!"

There was a quiver going through the symbiote. He was drawing himself tighter together, little shivers twitching over the skin that looked even duller.

What had they done to him? Probably not fed him, Eddie thought angrily. Depending on how long they had been in this place… fuck!

A roaring screech was coming from somewhere, then Eddie felt himself pushed forward by a shockwave of sound and air. He landed hard, his abused body screaming, and he screamed, too. For a long moment there was nothing but the crackle of something breaking, the rush of blood in his ears, accompanied by a loud ringing, and the agony everywhere in every cell.

He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the soreness, the headache, the general feeling of being completely broken.

There was no time for that right now. None at all.

They had to get out of here.

Fast.

Whatever was going on, and he really didn't want to know or get involved, it would probably be bad for them to get caught in it.

Venom was extremely vulnerable in his current state. He was outside his host and since he was barely reacting to anything, had most likely been tortured in some way.

His eyes found his symbiote, curled up in a tight ball of darkness, and Eddie made a stupid and rush choice.

He grabbed the ball in his good hand, fingers sinking into the malleable-not-slimy-strangely-warmhardsoftweird mass.

Venom's reaction was probably completely instinctive and not governed by any kind of rational thought as he lashed out again, this time drawing a lot of blood as dagger-like teeth-spikes sank into Eddie's hand, wrist and skin.

And Eddie screamed.

He curled around his Venom-encased hand, crying his symbiote's name, riding out a pain so sharp, it overrode everything else.

There was one clear thought not his own: fire-sound-pain-survive-fear-alone-terror-fight, then just the dull pulse of everything that was Eddie's own stressed-to-the-max mind.

"You're not alone," he groaned. "Chewing off my hand won't help either." He almost laughed, a weak cough in the cacophony around him. "Right now, we gotta get out of here before the real party starts! And I need your help for that, buddy. I can't make it on my own!"

The darkness sank into him, sharp and alien, not the smoothness Eddie was used to, and he whimpered in discomfort as it slithered along every nerve, every cell, leaving a trail of wrongness he wasn't used to. This was too much like the first time, when he had been consciously aware of Venom, when they had started out their partnership on such rocky ground, that Eddie hadn't been sure he would survive the end of the day.

Whatever they had done to him and Venom, to them, it had left its marks on both host and symbiote. Venom was uncoordinated, strangely rough, almost stumbling through Eddie's system as if he didn't really know what he was doing.

And maybe he wasn't right now.

He pushed himself up, knee still screaming, but the pain was suddenly dulled as Venom worked his magic. At least he remembered some of his symbiote duties, to keep the host functional, even if the results were rather sloppy.

Eddie ignored all the other injuries still not taken care of, glad he was mostly mobile for now, and started to move.

He started walking; well, staggering. Keeping one hand to the wall, he shuffled forward, eyes straining, his head aching. A pounding headache had settled just behind his eyes and he was unable to catch much of a coherent thought.

 _Damnit, Venom! Get a grip! Not funny!_ he thought furiously.

There was no reaction. Whatever had happened to his other half, it had really made a mess of him.

Getting his bearing inside the green-lit darkness that was still rocked by the sound of fighting somewhere was difficult. Eddie passed by more cells like his own, some of them empty, others broken open and whatever had been inside probably roaming the halls with them.

More and more often he had to stop, trying to maintain his balance.

Venom was silent inside him, still feeling too strange, not like himself, making no sound at all.

Also, he wasn't helping. Eddie was weak as a kitten, not inhumanly strong. He was injured and Venom wasn't healing him either. Not to mention the unasked for opinions usually only audible to him.

Shit, he missed that gravelly, growly, snarky voice telling him what to do, taking over the wheel when Eddie wasn't catching up fast enough, driving his body. Right now he could use a second opinion, even from a murderous, man-eating ass like his alien parasite.

XnXnXnXn

How they made it, how he made it, was a mystery, but he was tumbling out the door of wherever he had been locked in. It was probably sheer stubbornness on his part that had Eddie move despite the growing discomfort, despite Venom's inability to dampen any of the pain signals or get on with healing his injuries. His little parasite was a lump of silence.

The sound of explosions tore through the night, orange balls of fire blooming into the sky. Windows blew out and rained shards everywhere.

The noise was almost deafening. Shots fired sounded. There were howls and screams, some not even close to human. Half the building seemed to be burning, most likely another source of terror for the symbiote, keeping him so tightly wrapped up in himself. Now and then something crumbled into itself, the whoosh of rising flames only drowned when another explosion went off too close by.

Eddie just scrambled away from the building, heading into the darkness that was lit up by the flames, running through bushes small trees, branches slapping at his face and tearing at his clothes.

He finally collapsed onto the ground, out of breath, trembling so hard from exertion and pain, he could hardly focus. He curled into a tight ball, eyes screwed shut, just… existing for a while.

There was nothing but the gray of dawn, the dampness of his clothes, the rough ground, and in the distance the sound of helicopters and heavy machinery.

Cavalry?

Too late, he thought dimly.

The whole lab was gone, and whoever had abducted him and Venom with it. Hopefully anyway. He really didn't want to have another encounter.

Memories of their capture washed back and forth in his mind, bouncing around his cranium, making him sick with the recollection of the sonic blasts. Relentless. Again and again. Pure torture on a molecular level. They weren't his memories.

Venom hadn't separated easily. Two years of living with the same, perfectly matched host had made it hard for anyone to force the separation through a simple blast or noise. Prolonged exposure, though…

He grit his teeth so hard, Eddie was sure they would crack soon.

Venom had suffered immensely under the separation process, had been close to catatonic when he had finally been forced out of his human host, and whatever else they had done with him after that, Eddie was sure it hadn't been pretty either.

Hence his attack on the one human who knew him better than anyone.

Now here they were, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Alone.

And Venom was… there but not present. He was a mass inside his host, uncommunicative, barely holding Eddie together as it was, and Eddie himself knew he was fast reaching the end of his human endurance. Well, he probably had already.

And then there was only the darkness again.

XnXnXnXnXn

He woke once more to a world of pain, to a pounding headache behind his eyes, to the sensation of broken bones and torn muscles. He couldn't remember a time he had ever felt this bad and with every breath he took, with every fiery pulse that ran down his spine, it grew worse. He heard a soft groan that had to be his own.

Then there were voices.

Plural. Not just one, in his head, invasive and persistent, strangely sinister and rough. Someone was asking a question, but Eddie was hard pressed to make out the words, let alone the language.

English, part of him finally decided. English words. Native speaker, not foreign.

Someone carefully touched him and he was too exhausted to react. Venom didn't so much as twitch. He was a catatonic presence inside Eddie's chest.

Fuck!

"Sir?"

Then again, he didn't really want to explain black tendrils shooting out of him, attacking people.

"Sir? Can you hear me?"

Yeah, yeah, I can.

At least he tried to say the words, but there was only a harsh exhalation leaving his lips.

He weakly twitched as a light shone into his eyes.

"Sir? Can you hear me?" the voice repeated the question. "My name is Robert Hartfort. I'm with the Emergency Response Team. We'll get you out of here."

Eddie tried to open his mouth, but it seemed too hard, too much of an effort.

Someone was calling out something, then he was suddenly moved onto a stretcher and carried off.

It all happened in abrupt intervals, time breaking apart between takes and reforming only to leave Eddie guessing what had happened in between. He was sure he was missing a lot of things.

When had he been loaded onto a helicopter? When had they pushed needles into him?

Then there was nothingness.

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

When he was finally able to string more than two thoughts together, Eddie found himself in a hospital room. He hoped it was a hospital room, at least. If this was another lab or prison cell, he knew he would have more than a simple mental breakdown. He was done with getting abducted.

There was a window, so that was reassuring. It had no bars. It showed blue sky and clouds. Daylight.

Huh. Reassuring.

He was alone in the room, attached to an IV, wearing a hospital issue gown, and he had way too many bandages on him.

He also didn't ache. Actually, he felt like on top of the world.

Pain-killers, he realized. The good stuff. It let him drift in and out of awareness, sometimes wondering if he imagined those people around him or not.

"Mr. Brock. Good to see you awake."

Eddie blinked and turned his head. He must have been drifting for a while because the light had changed. The man standing next to his bed was dressed in white, wearing a name tag. Dr. Leland Grosner, Mercy General.

Ah.

Okay.

Huh.

Cool.

So… hospital. Right.

Damn, his brain was really more like pea soup than anything else right now.

"My name is Dr. Leland Grosner. You're at Mercy General."

Eddie frowned a little. He had just read that on the tag, right?

"You're in Portland. You were airlifted here by the Emergency Response Team. You were found severely dehydrated and hypoglycemic, broken bones and open wounds. Do you remember what happened?"

He licked his lips, forcing his brain to concentrate. At least for a moment. Otherwise they would probably call him a vegetable and send him off to la-la land again.

He really needed to get a grip, though.

"Kinda and no?" he rasped.

A nurse had entered now, too, and she fed him an ice chip. He would be forever grateful to her.

Grosner nodded. "Not surprising. You are, among other things suffering from a concussion and severe bruising of the skull and neck."

Just wonderful. This was getting better and better.

"And there have been several visitors asking about you."

He tried to raise his eyebrows. Would the fun never end? Eddie just wanted to close his eyes and pretend this was all a nightmare.

Well, his nightmare was currently curled up inside him, not a peep out of him, and the host was busy trying to make sense of everything alone.

 _Venom! Help needed here! Get your free-loading ass front and center!_

"It seems you were found near what happened to be a place of interest for the Avengers. There was, what I understood, a raid."

Well, fuck…

"ERT had been on stand-by for their operation. Someone told me you're an investigative reporter, so it seems to me you were in the wrong place at the wrong time for a title page article." Grosner smiled tightly.

"Right… if you say so…"

"You might not get those memories back. I already told your visitors. They were quite insistent to talk to you when you're awake," the doctor went on, clearly not happy about the whole thing. "Given the severity of your injuries, I'd estimate at least one more day before you're strong enough to have any kind of visitors."

"Thanks," he murmured, feeling exhausted from just a few minutes awake.

"Well, until then we will need to check you thoroughly."

Yeah, this was going to be one of the worst days ever.

XnXnXn

They really did check him head to toe, but thankfully not in an MRI, nor did they try any other kind of scans. He had given out Dan Lewis' name and phone number as his personal physician and Anne's name as his primary contact in case of emergencies. Dan would give them a few pointers as to what not to do; hopefully.

Eddie now also had a list of his injuries – concussion; bruises almost all over his body; a badly cut up left hand with thankfully no severed tendons, though some had been nicked; a bum knee with more problematic tendons that had been twisted and frayed; and a dislocated right shoulder that had been set and would probably hurt like blazes when the miracle of pain medication wore off. He had over thirty stitches in his hand alone. Fun. Not.

 _Venom, this is your job!_ he thought sourly. _We're a team. That means you hold up your end of the bargain and keep your host buddy alive and in shape! In turn I don't charge you for living rent-free, eating me out of house and home, the constant nagging, the inane comments about eating people, or simply starting to handle me like I'm some kind of puppet, you jerk._

No reply. None at all.

 _Damnit, parasite! I need you!_

Radio silence. Absolute radio silence. There wasn't even white noise.

Eddie felt sick to the core and it had nothing to do with his injuries or any kind of adverse reaction to the medication pumped into him.

He had prescription drugs that should help with the pain that would come the moment he was weaned off the meds in his IV. A crutch wouldn't be any kind of help with his bum shoulder. Yeah, his life would be a bitch the moment they kicked him out on the curb.

Venom still hadn't said a single word by the time Eddie was done with his exams, had gotten his bandages changed and some more shots pushed into his system, but he was there. Eddie felt him, knew his symbiote was alive, though the silence was unnerving. As was the missing sensation of Venom being everywhere, moving over his skin, manifesting outside.

XnXnXn

He slept a lot after that, which, as they told him, was normal.

Whenever he looked into the mirror as he painfully limped into the bathroom, Eddie saw a disheveled, pale face, with dark circles under his blood-shot eyes, unshaven – and no ripples of black or tendrils of darkness snaking over his skin.

The hospital food was kind of okay. It filled his stomach, but he missed pizza, burgers and chocolate. He loved the nurse for the two candy bars she gave him with a wink.

XnXnXn

Some FBI agent associated with the Avengers came and asked him a ton of questions, but Eddie stuck to his 'freelance investigative reporter digging into the story of a secret lab doing unsanctioned test' story.

Remembering so little helped.

Dr. Grosner helped. The man almost booted the poor agent out of his room when it became clear they were running in circles.

And it helped that Eddie Brock had been involved in the Life Foundation debacle, too. The FBI knew about it, knew about his ordeal, the settlement, as well as his past exploits in the world of journalism. It was their job to do background checks and Eddie's wasn't a secret. Well, that part wasn't.

XnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXn

He was released thirty-six hours later, with a list of what not to do, which medication to take when and how much, He also still had catatonic symbiote, which was worse than any of the aches and pains in his abused body.

Since his clothes had been unsalvageable the hospital had given him donated charities. The jeans were a great fit, he had a new jacket, boots, socks and a t-shirt that had him grin. 'Vegan Master Chef' was written in bold letters on the otherwise plain shirt.

Too bad Venom was still a no show. He would have appreciated the irony. Eddie sure did. It had him snicker silently.

He had called Anne for help since his wallet and every single credit card he owned were gone, probably up in flames. She booked him a hotel room with next to no questions, though had offered to also get him a ticket back to San Francisco.

Eddie had declined for now.

He needed time. He had to get Venom back. His old Venom, not the heavy lump of silence that was freaking him out by now.

He needed to heal.

They both needed to heal, each in his own way, and getting them on a plane was really not a good idea.

XnXn

The moment he stepped outside the hospital doors he had the niggling feeling of being watched.

Somehow Eddie had expected it.

XnXn

The hotel was one of those out of the way, non-touristy flat-roofed, one-story apartment places, with a kitchen so small, I would be hard to fit more than one pot on the tiny stove, but it had a comfy, clean bed. The room was bright, welcoming, renovated not too long ago, and larger than some apartments Eddie had called his home for a while not too long ago.

There was a supermarket near-by, as well as several fast food joints. Anne had also wired him some spending money and told him she was working on getting his new card to him.

Bless that woman!

So Eddie, still feeling watched and convinced he wasn't just paranoid, stocked up on food and snacks, and holed up in his temporary home, trying to get back in touch with his inner symbiote.

His lovely parasite of a partner.

That thought didn't even make the alien creature twitch, let alone growl.

Eddie would have been hard pressed to even locate him inside his body. Normally there were a few tell-tale signs, though never any discomfort, and on Venom's good days he was spread out everywhere. When he wasn't having such a good day, he was curled up in Eddie's abdomen or chest.

Now… nothing.

Eddie had no idea how to handle this situation. It was completely new to him. Venom was one tough motherfucker, had survived a bundle of bad stuff already, but this… this had been horrific enough to make the badass shut down.

So this classified as really more of a horrible, unnerving nightmare, bad enough to terrorize another nightmare.

Had they even fed him? he wondered, and not for the first time. Had Venom spent the time only in the glass cage, hungry, trying to escape? If they had fed him, what had they offered as food?

Eddie didn't really want to think about human sacrifices, so-called volunteers.

How much had their kidnappers known about Venom as such? What he was and where he came from?

If they hadn't fed his symbiote, why hadn't Venom come out of his shell-shocked state the moment they had been reunited? There hadn't been a single thought of hunger, demanding nourishment, anything of the like. Venom had leaped into his host, roughly merged, and then, silence.

Well, Eddie decided to just lay back, enjoy the comfort of a clean bed, cable TV, and unhealthy food. Food his symbiote loved, too.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

Forty-eight hours later he wanted to scream.

Venom was still unresponsive and whenever Eddie went out to get some fresh air, he had a tail keeping an eye on him. He was good at catching people following him. It had been part of his job and in the past two years he had developed a kind of sixth sense for it. Like a tingling at the back of his neck, warning him of watchers. He had associated it with Venom and his alien powers or whatever.

Looks like it stuck even without the symbiote being active, he mused.

Getting himself two large combo meals from the fast food place, a six-pack from the supermarket and raiding the candy aisle, he trudged back to his current home away from home, keeping an eye out for the eyes on him. He identified at least two of them, grumbling to himself about nosy agents.

Maybe they knew about Venom.

Maybe they just had an eye on the nuisance of a reporter who had happened to come upon some weird facility in the middle of nowhere.

Not that his memories were giving him much on his adventures either. Most of it was a blank. He only had the snippets from the rushed joining, the ones from Venom's side, and they were sickening enough.

Eddie felt a surge of anger at the faceless, probably dead kidnappers. They had fucking tortured Venom! For no apparent reason! Who knew how many other victims had been in there, how many had died!

He shoved the burger into his mouth and washed it down with a chocolate milkshake. It settled heavily in his stomach.

He felt like throwing up.

XnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXn

He called Anne again, let her know he was doing fine. Not 'they', only him. 'Fine' was also a very optimistic interpretation of his current condition and situation.

She caught on to that. Asked about Venom.

Eddie had no idea what to say, aside from the truth.

Anne was more than an ex he had remained friends with. She was his best friend. She was a confidant. She had been Venom's host for a short time, both of them saving Eddie's life, and she understood so much more than any other outsider might ever be able to.

Venom's possession of her had left Anne a little shaken, but she had been a willing host. She had done it for Eddie. She had agreed to let Venom drive her and in turn Venom hadn't snacked on her.

Eddie had very much appreciated the latter.

"Oh, Eddie," she now said, sounding very empathetic. "It's probably shock."

"I'm no expert on alien goo physiology," he muttered. "Even if the jerk's been with me for so long now. I didn't even know he could be shocked. I mean, we've been through some really weird stuff, but he was never… like that."

"At least he's back with you."

"Yeah, well, he lives here rent free. Where else would he go?" He sighed a little and scrubbed a hand over his face. "If you ask Venom he got me house-trained and won't just let all his hard work go to waste by jumping into another host."

"Eddie…" Anne sounded both amused and aggravated.

"Yeah. Okay. We all know I kinda like the little bastard, despite his attitude problems." A lot, he added silently. He stared at the ceiling, a half-eaten candy bar on his stomach. "For all the good that's doing. He's not talking, Anne. I thought I'd never say it, but I miss his comments, the unasked for news updates, the sarcasm, the snark. I know he's there, but…" He screwed his eyes shut. "He's just there."

And that was it. That was the worst part. Venom just being there.

"He's with you. He reacted to you, merged with you," she told him gently. "He knew you are his safety, despite everything that had been done to him to push him this far into his own head."

He snorted.

"That's what symbiosis and symbiote means," Anne reminded him. "An organism in a partnership with another where each profits from their being together. You're his safety net. He can't survive outside your body for long. He, in turn, keeps you whole and healthy."

"You make it sound so romantic. One disaster depending on another disaster. We both know who's who."

She chuckled. "Don't tell me you would really kick him out."

No, he wouldn't. Eddie felt strangely possessive of the little fuckup. He had risked his hand getting him back. He would gladly have lost the hand if it meant Venom was back where he belonged; inside Eddie.

And before that he had done a lot more. So much more.

When he had turned his back on the symbiote the first time, in the hospital, he had been simply angry. Furious, really. Dan had just told him that the symbiote was really a parasite, eating his inner organs, slowly killing him. He hadn't listened to Venom's desperate arguments, had been even more pissed off when he had attacked Dan.

Then Anne had separated them.

The pain had been bad, the relief… well, there hadn't really been relief. Eddie had been too messed up, too exhausted, filled with adrenaline, mind racing in a million different directions.

But Venom came back. Venom had actively looked for him, saved him, bonded with him again.

To save the whole damn planet.

He could have taken any other body. He could have used Anne. He could have acquired someone physically stronger, mentally not so messed up, but he had gone for Eddie.

And Eddie could have turned his back on him a second time when Riot had torn them apart. He had been free of him, Venom just a black mass of alien mass, twisting, turning, weaker than his team leader and yet still fighting. To save a planet they had come to conquer.

Even today Eddie remembered that one moment, the life-changing moment, so clearly.

Seeing Venom, really seeing him.

Echoes of his words that he liked Earth, wanted to save the planet because it had been Eddie, the loser, who had changed his mind, resonating in his head.

And the emotions. Things he couldn't put into words, hat had been all Venom in their ferociousness, the protectiveness, the need, the sensation of belonging…

Yeah, it had been so crystal clear in that one moment.

And Eddie Brock had reached out, had felt the dark mass slide over his skin and sink into his body. He had reconnected.

Willingly.

Knowing fully well what it meant.

They were Venom.

And then, on the launch pad, a third time, when the sonic waves had also separated Drake from Riot. Eddie hadn't scrambled away and run. He had tried to fight, getting a huge blade through the heart for his troubles.

This time, Venom had saved him in turn, too.

He had lost count how many times since the first moment he had become aware of his roommate.

So no, he wouldn't kick him out. Ever.

His moral compass might be screwed nine ways to hell and back for letting Venom eat bad guys on occasion, but Eddie was dead set on keeping him alive. Keeping them alive.

They had learned from one another. Loser from loser. Eddie had taught Venom a lot of boundaries which the symbiote respected, though he liked to test them. Like a small child, Eddie sometimes thought. And Eddie himself had pulled his head out of ass, facing life once more, living once more, leaving the past in the past.

They were a team.

A banged up, traumatized team, one half with a big chunk of his memories of the kidnapping and imprisonment missing, the other half… well, catatonic.

"He might need the time to… process what happened, Eddie," Anne's voice broke into his thoughts. She had been silent as Eddie had digested everything, giving him the time he had needed to think. "To feel safe again. To trust."

That had him wince a little. Venom should be able to trust him instinctively!

"He knows you, but right now he's not himself," she went on. "He was hurt, right?"

"Yeah. Badly, I guess. Not that he can bleed. Or break bones. Not sure I'd see a cut or bruise on him either."

He felt sick just thinking about it.

"Let him heal. You're his host. He can get back to his old strength inside you. You're his only protection," she reminded him again. "Trust in yourself."

"I wish I could do something," he muttered.

"You are, Eddie. You're giving both of you the necessary time. If there's one thing I took from my brief time as Venom's host, it's that you're perfect for him. You and him, you fit. Seamlessly. And I've seen how much you two have learned in the past two years. You no longer look like a crazy person talking to yourself."

He chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, well, you should come for the really bad fights. Those are loud and nasty."

Anne made an amused noise. "But you always make up."

Eddie knew ambiguous when he heard it. He refused to fall for the bait.

"You want me to book you a flight?" Anne switched the topic.

Eddie blinked, still staring at the rather bleak and boring ceiling. "No. No, I'm good. This place is okay. I think we need this. Here. Away."

With watchdogs, he added sourly. And he really didn't want to fly with an unresponsive symbiote that might just have a panic attack or whatever on a plane full of people. No, he would sort this out here, however long it took.

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "Call. No matter what, okay? You know I'm here for you. Both of you."

He smiled. "Yeah. Say hello to Dan."

Anne chuckled. "I will. If you need a refill on your meds, call. He'll send it through."

"Thanks."

He loved his back-up and support team.

And then he was alone with his thoughts again, as well as the background noise of the TV.

XnXnXn

Eddie dragged himself to the shower a long while later, wrapping his bandaged hand in a plastic bag. The shoulder was aching abominably, but he tried to move it as much as was bearable under the scalding hot water.

It felt good, muscles loosening a little more, though nothing would have felt better right now than an inappropriate comment from Venom.

Alas, silence.

Eddie haphazardly toweled himself off. He wasn't used to being so battered. This hadn't happened since their partnership. And then, never for too long.

"I could really use your help right now," he muttered into the steam-fogged bathroom. "Symbiosis means give and take, buddy. Not just enjoying the sights."

Nothing.

Not even a surge of annoyance. Not some inane remark about inferior, too frail human physiology compared to the symbiote's own. No black tendrils creeping over the damp skin, spreading to create clothes that were actually just Venom.

Eddie usually shooed him back and dressed in real clothes.

No, he didn't even have that.

He wanted to bury his fist in the mirror to erase the unwanted image of just him, but that would simply mean more pain and most likely another trip to the hospital, explaining sheepishly why he had hit the mirror in the first place.

Peeling back the thankfully dry bandages, Eddie pulled a face at the mass of stitches, the still raw look of his hand, and quickly covered it all up once more. Grosner hadn't really asked a lot of questions, most likely because of the way Eddie had been brought in, caught in a fight that had involved the Avengers. No doctor in his right mind would see those bite marks as anything but bite marks. And no doctor would believe it was some forest animal either.

He had been told to get the bandages changed every other day, but so far he had held out the hope that Venom would get his act together.

Well, no such luck.

He would have to take care of all that himself.

Just his life right now.

XnXnXn

The trip to the hospital was quicker than he had thought. There was probably something on his file because he was ushered into a treatment room and Grosner himself checked his handiwork.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Brock?"

"Better, but no memories just yet," Eddie told him truthfully.

Grosner nodded. "To be expected. Memories from just before the trauma are often completely lost, partly due to the psychological repression of unpleasant memories and partly because memories may be incompletely encoded if the trauma event interrupts the normal process of transfer from short-term to long-term memory. Trauma is like that. You might get something back or maybe nothing ever. Your mind is protecting itself."

Eddie grimaced.

Grosner examined the hand. "This looks good. No infection. Keep it clean. If all goes well, we can remove the stitches in about ten days."

"Sure thing, doc."

The doctor questioned him about his knee, the shoulder, his appetite, then recommended a therapist to start working on mobility, and even handed him a number for a psychologist, should Eddie need that kind of help.

He didn't intend to call either of those two.

What he needed was to get his symbiote back.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

For anyone wondering about our favorite symbiote: he's about to wake out of his beauty sleep next chapter :)

Since Venom isn't part of the MCU (officially) and I'm very much a fan of Coulson being alive and well and part of the Avengers, he's alive and well and part of the Avengers in my fic.

XnXnXnX

The knock on his door was almost polite.

It was ass o'clock in the morning and Eddie hadn't slept well last night. He had kept the TV running, running through old comedy episodes from a show he couldn't even remember now, and home shopping channels. He had drifted off in the wee hours to a chirpy voice trying to sell him gaudy jewelry and sequined dresses, only to jerk awake after another fragment of horror movie material nightmares.

Eddie felt tension creep through him and maybe there was a slight stirring deeper inside, but Venom still hadn't so much as cleared his non-existent throat. No amount of greasy or sticky-sweet food got a murmur or just a fleeting emotion.

He was slowly reaching the end of his rope. Eddie missed the annoying little shit. Badly. He wanted that harsh, irritating voice back. He wanted the backseat commentator, the provocative whispers, the sinister suggestions. He wanted the banter, the ribbing, the sometimes less than gentle taunts. He wanted the darkness flowing over his skin, the tendrils wrapping around his body, their body, the manifestation of the more-teeth-than-a-white-shark grin.

All of it.

Because that was Venom. Rash, abrasive, demanding. And then, in the next moment, protective, caring, balancing and gentle.

He was a contradiction in so many ways, but so was Eddie. They fit. So perfectly.

Eddie looked through the peephole, half expecting to see nothing, but there was actually someone there, and it wasn't the cleaning lady.

Opening the door he was greeted by the sight of a rather non-descript man in a dark suit, with thinning hair, dark glasses, a mild smile on his features that had probably fooled a hell of a lot of people in the past.

"Whatever you're trying to sell, not interested," he said gruffly.

The mild smile stayed. "I think you are, Mr. Brock."

"Yeah?"

"I'm Agent Coulson."

Eddie just about didn't roll his eyes, but his expression shifted nonetheless. "Right."

"May I come in?"

"Sure. Bring in the troops, too, why don't you," he grumbled. "Not like you haven't been watching me ever since someone found me in the middle of nowhere."

Coulson walked into the apartment and took off his glasses. His eyes swept over the interior, briefly settling on the soap Eddie had had running in the background while he had once again tried to reach Venom since sleep hadn't been an option anyway. Without success. Again.

Then his eyes were on Eddie himself. He knew he looked less than stellar. Unshaven, like he hadn't slept in days – which came actually close to his true condition – and wearing rumpled clothes.

But Eddie couldn't care less.

Sure, he had bought some clothes – cheap, off the rack stuff that he hadn't even tried on and which was too big, actually. And yes, he had washed them. And really, yes, he had cleaned up, taken out the trash.

Still, he knew his outside appearance reflected what his mind was like. What his soul looked like: a disastrous mess.

"We have been keeping an eye on you. Your presence in the vicinity of the top secret, undisclosed location the Avengers were called to was… interesting."

Eddie snorted. He pushed the door shut. He didn't for one moment doubt that Coulson wasn't alone.

"If you're hoping I remember how I got there, sorry, Agent Coulson, no such luck. Big blank up here." He gestured at his head.

"Maybe I can shed some light." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a flash drive. "We managed to retrieve some of the security footage from the facility."

Eddie felt something stir now. More than before. And he felt cold.

Cameras.

Well, shit.

Coulson placed the drive onto the desk. "You may review this at your leisure."

"Got no laptop."

Coulson nodded as if he had expected it. He pushed the surface of the tiny device and it started to project a holographic image, showing the lab, showing the cell Eddie had found himself in.

Showing Eddie.

Alone in the cell.

The image froze as Coulson pushed the button again.

"As I said, at your leisure."

"What do you want?" Eddie asked, mouth dry.

Part of him was fascinated by the tech – probably Stark tech – another was terrified.

"We're quite aware of who you are, Mr. Brock. Of your involvement with the Life Foundation situation as of two years ago."

Situation. Yeah, right.

Eddie was one of the few people who had come out of that mess alive. With a healthy settlement the Life Foundation couldn't have been faster paying him. Anne had barely drafted the papers and already money had been coming in. No court case, just an agreement, an insane amount of money, and Eddie's continued silence in the matter. Maybe it was Dan's long, complicated medical diagnosis that claimed Eddie had been drugged, tortured, experimented on, nearly killed and was now suffering from PTSD of sorts. Maybe it was Anne's no-nonsense, shark-like lawyer talk. Maybe it was just that the Foundation had lost everything, there was a lot of proof of their unethical conduct, and the fact that the only survivor was an investigative reporter, who happened to have saved the planet.

He had taken the money. Eddie wasn't stupid. It was more than a nest egg, allowing him to quit employment and do freelance stuff when he wanted, to live comfortably, to have a nice place of his own, away from prying eyes.

Yes, the situation, as bad as it had started out, as exponentially worse it had gotten, right down to almost killing him after killing so many others, had been resolved to make the life of Eddie Brock bearable.

Their life. Together.

"We also know exactly what you are. We've been monitoring your activities. Both of you." Coulson raised his eyebrows pointedly. "Since you didn't pose an immediate threat, the Avengers saw no need to intervene, despite your more… extreme methods of assisting the general public." He quirked a little smile.

Eddie stared at him, panic chasing fear, wrapped around his fight or flight reflex. The stirring was getting stronger. His emotions were fluctuating more and it was no longer just him. For the first time in what felt like ages, Venom was showing some consciousness.

Not. The. Best. Time.

"You were captured by a group called Tri. To be studied. Well, mostly your symbiote."

They knew. They fucking knew! Well, of course they knew, Eddie thought sourly.

"Tri is a small group, quite fanatic," Coulson explained, his voice as even and bland as if he was talking about the weather. "They want to advance themselves through any means necessary. So they take what they want, tech and people alike. We had been more than prepared to take them down when they took you. It was a… complication. I know what they did to you and the symbiote. I suspect a lot of damage was done, since you still show no signs of healing." Coulson nodded at his bandaged hand and the knee brace. Eddie had discarded of the sling for his aching shoulder.

Fuck off, Eddie thought, teeth clenched. Just go away!

"While the Avengers can't condone the violence with which you act as a… vigilante, for lack of a better word, we can't condone the torture inflicted on you and Venom either."

There. He had said it. He had said Venom's name.

They really knew. Wild curses ran through Eddie's head. They knew, they knew, they knew!

Well, Venom's appearances in the past had been recorded on several phones, though the quality was mostly crappy, with shaky hands making it worse, but some of the material had been quite good. People knew about them, about their vigilance over San Francisco and the greater area.

He had never run into an Avenger thankfully.

Until now.

The flight reflex was getting worse, adrenaline spiking through him as muscles tensed involuntarily

Something twisted in the depth of his chest, curling closer to his stomach.

"My understanding of your situation is rather rudimentary," Coulson went on as if he hadn't just dropped several bombs. "I can only reassure you that we're not looking to bring you in or ship you off to any kind of holding facility. As long as your actions against the bad element stays within certain acceptable boundaries. I understand that your symbiote has protected this planet once already. I believe that is a good start."

Yeah, they were regular boy scouts, Eddie thought sourly.

"What do you want, Agent Coulson?" he asked flatly.

"Nothing. You were one of the few lucky ones to survive Tri's meddling and the destruction of their labs. Review the recordings if you want. Should you require further help, we would not turn you away. We might be able to help you and Venom in your current situation."

"No, thanks. Got it." He gave the man a forced, cheerful smile and a thumbs up. "All good."

He felt sick to the core, wanted to throw up, wanted to crawl into a hole and just let his aching body rest, but none of that made it over his lips. Despite the mess he looked, Eddie firmly met the other man's eyes, refusing to submit to any of this.

Coulson inclined his head in acceptance. Sure, he didn't look convinced, but he didn't challenge Eddie on it either.

"I'll see myself out. Good day, Mr. Brock."

And then he was gone, closing the door gently behind himself.

Eddie exhaled sharply and sank onto the bed, hands digging into his hair, curling against his scalp.

His head pounded.

His hand was screaming at him, louder than his knee and his shoulder, and above all was the mind-numbing panic.

"Fuck," he whispered. "Fuckfuckfuck! Fuckit!"

The Avengers knew. Not that he had ever doubted it, but now it was real. They knew about what had happened to him years ago, about his symbiosis with the jerk-face of a parasite called Venom. They knew about him. Had probably extensive files on every parasite brought to Earth by Drake, more about Riot and Venom than the others, and they might just know even more than Eddie did.

For a brief moment he had the urge to stuff everything he had into the bag he had bought just yesterday, together with fresh clothes, and run. His logical mind told him that it made no sense at all. They could keep eyes on him, without Eddie knowing, and he wouldn't be any safer somewhere else.

Anyway, the room was paid for another two weeks.

Taking a few deep breaths, calming his nerves, Eddie scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Opinion?" he asked out loud.

No reply.

"You're never without an opinion. I usually get it without asking, y'know."

Still nothing.

"Anything? Not even the suggestion to bite Coulson's head off?"

Venom seemed to twitch, but he was still incommunicado.

Great.

"So not helping," he muttered, running a hand through his already disheveled hair.

Eddie's eyes fell on the frozen image hovering over the flash drive. Well, why not? he decided. It might just get a rise out of Mr. Bad Attitude Parasite.

Not that he was looking forward to seeing some of the stuff he suspected was on there.

tbc...


	5. Chapter 5

And he was right.

In so many ways.

While there was no sound, the images alone had him want to just turn it all off, scrub his brain clear of the memory, and be done with it all. But Eddie Brock was also a reporter, a tenacious, fearless bastard who had fought bigger things.

Like Riot.

Yeah, that hadn't been a joyride either.

So watching Venom getting torn out of him, piece by piece, resisting the separation every step of the way, was hard. It was downright sickening actually. Venom was fighting it, clinging to his host, and the host was trying to hold on, too.

Outside their glass cage, people were watching, but he couldn't make out the faces.

Thin tendrils of black stretched away like elastic bands, tried to hold on to Eddie, whipping everywhere as they had to let go, lashing at an unseen source of pain.

Eddie was screaming.

There was thankfully no sound.

He suspected Venom had been screaming, too.

For a moment the torture stopped, both host and symbiote collapsing. Eddie was on his knees, curled up protectively, arms wrapped around his stomach. He was shaking hard, face ashen, breathing coming on staccato gasps.

There was a puddle of darkness around him.

Venom. Spread out so thin, he was barely holding it together. Countless, thin tendrils of himself were still clinging to Eddie, pulling him back to his host.

Eddie stared at the image, bile rising inside his throat. Venom looked almost… dead. Still black as night, but so… wispy and lifeless! The symbiote was really fast while outside a host, able to move at a speed unrivalled by any human, to jump, to change shape from flat to a lump to a coil within a second.

This… this was so wrong! So very, very wrong!

And then whatever had happened started again.

Eddie watched himself curl up more tightly, screaming, while Venom shuddered violently, holding on with a strength that had to be pure desperation by now.

One after another, the thin tendrils snapped.

He wanted to throw up.

The Eddie in the video uncurled one arm, reaching for the symbiote, fingers gliding through the panicky, rippling mass. None of the remaining, hair-thin filaments found any support on the ashen skin.

Eddie felt a sudden, violent jolt below his sternum, like a blow from the inside. He rocked back, one hand coming to rest over the place. His eyes slid away from the recordings.

"Whoa. Venom?"

There was a rough shudder and suddenly black tendrils shot out of his chest, one of them swiping the flash drive off the desk. It clattered into a corner, switching off. Another lashed around his injured arm, pain flaring through him as it curled tightly, but he bit his lip. A third was looping around his neck.

Eddie just sat there, holding his breath, frozen without being held in place by his other half. None of the restraints were really harsh. His hand was simply too badly injured and reacted to being squeezed. He could breathe just fine, could move. His symbiote just… clung to him.

The tendrils pulsed, shifted, flowed back and forth without ever losing their strength.

"Venom?" he asked, voice coarse. "You there, pal?"

The symbiote moved restlessly inside him, crawled over his skin, sank back into his body, only to cover parts of him once more. There was a low hissing in the back of Eddie's mind, like static. The host sat still, tense and waiting but not afraid. Eddie felt more of his partner now, unfolding, spreading, but it still didn't feel as smooth as it had before.

Sandpapery.

Graceless.

Like Venom was learning what it meant to be inside another body.

Eddie knew it was an instinct the symbiotes were born with, to take a host, adjust themselves to make and model, so to speak. Every single one of them could do it automatically.

Venom was so uncoordinated and inelegant as if he had forgotten how this worked, as if only the fact that this was Eddie helped the whole process along.

After a long minute, the gurgling hissing turned into more of a hum. It grew gentler, reminding Eddie of everything that had been there before their capture, and he slowly lay back on the bed, closing his eyes, looking inward.

Venom was still wrapped around his limbs and his neck, but the crudeness was making way to the normal dexterity and fluidity.

 _Hey,_ he thought calmly. _It's me._

Eddie Brock wasn't one for meditation. He had tried that and found it crap. Didn't work. He had had no success in calming his mind and opening his spirit.

This, here, was different. Not meditation. More of calmly waiting for the next move.

"Venom..." he said out loud, voice only a little shaky now. It was almost cajoling, like talking to a scared dog or cat. "You're safe. You're back with me."

The answer was more of a rumble, careful, distrustful, not really aware. Instinct.

"You know me." _You know where you are._

This time the darkness covered his chest, sliding over it like a freaky, rippling blanket, down his arm to where his injured hand was encased in bandages.

This time the contact was gentler.

Memories flashed through him. Not his own. He had a different point of view, felt different emotions.

He was frightened for his life, terrified, hurting, disoriented, and then there was something touching him. He lashed out and hurt the attacker, but it felt wrong. The blood tasted familiar, but it triggered hardly a memory. He sank vicious teeth into soft skin, blood spurting into his mouth, and it felt wrong. So wrong. Because he hurt the wrong person.

Eddie felt Venom on his arm, sinking through the bandages, into the damaged skin, knitting it together as he dissolved the stitches, healing the marks. He brushed over the individual fingers, between them, like holding hands and still not even close to it.

 _No hard feelings_ , he projected.

His shoulder stopped aching as Venom continued his work, bruises being absorbed, bones mended, cracks closing, and his knee was no longer a pool of constant aches.

He smiled.

 _Thanks, buddy._

He felt something along his chest and opened his eyes, watching in calm fascination as Venom finally formed a real part of himself out of his host, becoming his other half, not just this faceless puddle. He looked for all the world like some unknown deep sea creature, a horror of the deep, black as night, ebbing and flowing, the white eyes milky and huge, the rows of sharp teeth threatening.

Not to Eddie.

After two years this was normal.

Yeah, my life, he mused with fond amusement.

And the happiness curling in his stomach was also his life.

They looked at one another until Eddie finally raised a hand and touched his horror of the deep, his little parasite. Venom's manifestation was smaller than normal, his tar-like mass moving more slowly than it used to, but at least he looked like himself.

"Welcome back," he said softly, lips twitching into a smile.

It should feel wet or gel-like, the glistening surface a reminder of some sick horror movie effect, but was warm, silky, almost dry.

It wasn't the same sensation as when he suited up, when they became Venom. It was so very different, so much more them on a much deeper level.

Venom leaned into the touch like a goulish cat-eel creature, making a wet, chuff-purring noise, more of him fanning out over the supine man in a really weird hug. The rest of him was gently arranging and rearranging himself. Like a lava lamp creature, Eddie mused, and not the first time. Like watching gel under water.

There was a surge of annoyance.

 _ **Eddie.**_

The grin that split Eddie's face rivalled Venom's on a good day. And while Venom's voice was far less rough and dark, it wasn't a weak whimper either.

"Hey there, jerk face," he said fondly.

Eddie had never felt such exhilaration, such delight, before, and so much relief. He laughed as Venom grumbled over the softer emotions, though he didn't fight the caresses. And maybe, just maybe, that softness was briefly mirrored, though Venom would deny any such thing to his dying days.

 _ **Eddie**_ , he repeated, stronger now, sounding still very gritty.

"You scared me, parasite."

It got him a warning hiss and darkness flared in convulsing spikes from his neck.

Eddie laughed giddily. "That's my boy. You okay?"

 _ **I'm alive.**_

Okay. So he wasn't good, but he also wasn't too bad off. He had come out of his catatonia at least. Through some shock therapy, apparently, but results were results. Eddie wasn't picky.

And he was talking. God, how he had missed that voice.

It was like getting his equilibrium back, re-growing a missing limb.

 _ **I wasn't gone**_ , Venom rasped, swinging back and forth in front of him like a very grotesque snake act.

"Yeah, well, debatable. You were physically gone for a while. That sucked. And then you were back and still didn't go with the program. That sucked even more. Man, I hate hospitals."

Venom rumbled unhappily, looking away.

A tendril of darkness wrapped itself around his still bandaged wrist, sliding over his lower arm up to his elbow. It wormed underneath the bandages as if to check if everything had truly been healed.

Eddie let him.

The caress was so careful, probing, like he didn't trust his own handiwork.

Then Venom simply washed over the bandages and dissolved them, making a disgusted noise.

His hand looked and felt like new.

Eddie flexed it, turned it this way and that. No scars, nothing at all. As if it had never happened.

The dark tendrils flowed over the unblemished skin, as if searching for anything Venom might have missed.

"Perfect," Eddie only said softly.

The white eyes met his. _**I hurt you.**_

 _They hurt you_ , he projected. _You only reacted._

 _ **I should have known it was you. You're my host. It's in my blood, in yours. We are one. I would know you among billions.**_

Eddie smiled involuntarily, feeling a warm wave of affection course through him. He rubbed a thumb over the symbiote's jaw.

 _ **Harming the chosen host is… wrong**_. Venom sounded disgusted. _**Harming the bond-host is worse.**_

"You made it up again. I'm good."

 _ **We always recognize the bond-host. I didn't. I… fucked up.**_

Eddie had to laugh. Yeah, he had, but he wasn't going to hold it against him. Venom had been tortured, damnit! Eddie himself had been drugged to the gills, had been left in the cell to rot, and Venom had been exposed to whatever they had been happy trying out on the alien life-form.

Sick bastards!

Venom hissed softly, sinking so quickly back into his host, Eddie almost got dizzy.

Whoa!

"You know we're good, right?" Eddie said out loud, flat palm stroking over his chest. "You didn't bite the hand off. In a way you knew it was me. I'm really okay. No hard feelings."

 _ **It's in our DNA to recognize the bond-host**_ , Venom snarled furiously. _**I didn't. I attacked you. It's punishable by separation.**_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he interrupted his symbiote. "Stop it, okay? You weren't yourself, Venom! Neither was I. You did nothing wrong, buddy. No one's separating you from me again!"

Black surged out of the pores of his skin, flowed around the formerly mistreated limb, exploring each finger. He felt Venom's thoughts-emotions-whatever.

 _ **Mistakes… mistakes like this…**_

And he felt… understood.

Part of the symbiote had recognized his host on a very basic level, had known this was the one he needed, the one he knew so intimately. The one who was his one perfect match. But the terror had been overwhelming, the pain still there on a primal level, switching off logical thinking, and he had done the unspeakable: seriously harmed his host through an attack that had left such deep injuries, Eddie had needed stitches; could even have lost a limb.

Eddie Brock was Venom's. This flawed human being, so not the super hero and not the perfect host. But he was to Venom.

There was a proprietary emotion so strong, it left Eddie gasping. He wasn't just one of many, not a tool, a temporary ride, to be devoured in case of hunger or need. He was the bond-host. There had been no rejection on a cellular level, only a brief adjustment period, which had been expected.

Eddie felt himself smile at the thoughts-emotions. Venom was as crap as he was at feelings, but they understood each other in a weird way. He knew he reciprocated those unspoken but very genuine feelings, the almost possessive need to be with this one being, and it was something he couldn't really talk about with anyone. A shrink would probably have him committed, and whoever else might know about Venom's race and their abilities would decide Eddie had been taken over and was under a parasite's control.

No, better not say any of that out loud.

Knowing was enough.

"And what they did to me was worse than your little love-bite, really," he sighed.

Venom's reaction was a violent howl that echoed in his head and Eddie screwed his eyes shut for a moment. There were thoughts of murder and revenge cascading through him. He finally pushed hard against the presence and Venom recoiled, as if coming to his senses, aware he was hurting his host.

"They took you from me," he finally said. "They tore you out of me. That was worse than any broken bone, bruise or cut."

It had hurt like a bitch. Eddie knew how bad it had been the few times it happened before, a long time ago. It had been excruciating. This time his memories were extremely fuzzy, but the video gave him a good idea.

Like… like someone was trying to tear him apart cell by cell, on a molecular level, removing a vitally important part of him. He had been trying to hold on, desperate, putting all his energy, his will, into it, but in the end he had lost.

Waking up alone. Confused and alone. To a nothingness inside him.

"You were gone, Venom."

The symbiote hummed, tendrils sliding over his neck, his still so pale and unshaven face.

 _ **I'm back. We're okay…?**_

Now they were. "Yes, we are. We're a total mess, but that's okay. I also don't hold grudges."

 _ **But now they know.**_

"Nothing escapes you, huh?"

The annoyance had him grin. Of course nothing escaped him. Venom was back and he was back in every part of Eddie's body and mind.

In his very soul.

Venom seemed to freeze, then pulsed gently. They never talked about how close they were, in every aspect. Knowing each other in a way that went beyond any intimacy two humans could share. Where Venom had been the one to always know Eddie's thoughts, their time together had opened up their minds to each other, blending them together before becoming two once again.

No secrets.

An openness that had been as terrifying as it had been freeing.

Boundaries had been set, there was privacy, but there was also the symbiosis.

Perfection.

A perfection reflected in the difficulty Tri had had in getting the symbiote out of his host.

In the past, Eddie had tried to talk to his symbiote about this closeness, but it was something Venom evaded, downright clammed up. All Eddie knew was that it wasn't normal. Symbiotes never fused with their hosts on such a deep level. It was seen as pathetic and weak, though it made the combined form so much stronger.

But Venom was a loser.

He almost laughed.

Yeah, he was a loser. They were a loser. They had given in to temptation, to stay with the perfection they had found in the other, becoming more; better.

Rubbing a hand over his sternum, almost a caress of the place he usually felt Venom's presence the most, he smiled a little. They had learned to coexist, to cooperate, to give and take control, to listen to the other's instinct.

Communication was so much easier. Thoughts could travel. Eddie didn't need to talk out loud, though sometimes he did.

"You up to watching the rest of that shit?" he asked quietly.

That resulted in a rather violent reaction, with parts of the darkness rippling over Eddie's body, into his mind, terror and fury making him gasp. He curled up and squeezed his eyes shut, pushing at Venom. Hard. Really, really hard.

Two years of having the asshole in his body had taught him a trick or two, even if Venom could override his physical form and there was nothing Eddie could do about it.

The symbiote stopped, panting.

Well, he had no mouth and no need for air, really, but the sensation was just the same.

For a long time there was nothing. Eddie stayed on the bed, curled up, eyes closed, keeping a close watch. Venom finally seeped out once more, all tentacles and fanged head. He met those milky eyes, watching for signs only Eddie Brock could read and understand. To everyone else, Venom was a mass of dark goo and a mouth full of razor teeth. To Eddie, there was more.

 _ **You want to know who they are. What they did. What else was in the facility.**_

"Yeah. Reporter, right? I'm naturally curious. The Avengers got them, but they got us first. They found us, separated us. I want to know. It won't be pretty, but it's the past, buddy."

Venom's head swayed back and forth like a ginormous snake.

"What do you say, fang-face?" Eddie teased. "Up for it? Or are you chicken?"

 _ **I'm not poultry!**_ Venom snapped, showing teeth that could easily bite Eddie's head off, but the host just laughed. He looped an arm over the partially formed symbiote and drew him into a hug that had Venom protest through more fearsome snarls and indignant growls.

He could easily take over, control his human partner. He would have no trouble making Eddie do whatever he wanted, but that wasn't them. Not anymore.

And he didn't pull away.

Instead, he sank into his host and spread everywhere, warm, heavy, safe.

XnXnXn

Eddie gave them another two hours. He had gone to the supermarket near-by and bought half the candy aisle, or so it seemed, as well as whatever was chocolaty and tickled Venom's fancy. A few sandwiches were added, as well as enough caffeine-loaded drinks as fit into the already overflowing shopping cart. That Venom pushed him into buying the plate of brownies from the small bakery next to the supermarket was just the icing on this food binge cake.

Any other man might by now look like a beached whale, but the symbiote in his gut made sure that wasn't going to happen. He absorbed everything coming in and Eddie only felt full when Venom finally did.

The symbiote hummed happily, hanging over Eddie's shoulders like a sinister cape, black tendrils wrapped around his arms. He felt warm in that alien embrace, enjoying the way the darkness flowed over his exposed skin, covering him without turning him into the more monstrous version of them together, out for the hunt.

When Venom was a warm, happy, heavy weight inside him, Eddie retrieved the flash drive. He twirled it in his fingers, letting Venom get accustomed to the knowledge of what was going to happen.

"Ready?"

 _ **No.**_

He smiled. "Well, here we go then."

tbc...


	6. Chapter 6

"Holy crap on a cracker," Eddie muttered.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, the flash drive on the night stand. Venom was shivering inside him, deeply disturbed and refusing to acknowledge his very emotional reaction to what had been recorded by the camera feeds.

He remembered it all.

Unlike Eddie, who had big, gaping holes. He didn't even know how those goons had grabbed them. Everything until the moment he had woken up alone, just before everything had really gone down the drain, was gone.

Symbiotes didn't get concussions and they didn't get amnesia.

So he remembered.

Eddie was sure Venom would rather forget it, too. Well, he would like to erase the images now burned in his memory right now as well.

Venom had been tortured, pure and simple. He had been torn out of his host. He had been separated and locked in a place he couldn't escape from. No one had approached the container and when he had been transferred into a lab, it had been done by machines.

They had exposed him to different atmospheric conditions.

They had used fire in various forms, right down to a blow torch that had burned Venom so badly in one place, Eddie had felt physically ill, close to throwing up, as Venom relived that agonizing moment.

They had turned up the sound, tearing into the exposed alien being and apparently trying to either slice him to pieces or just see how much he could take.

They had finally hurt the host to see if the symbiote reacted. And oh, Venom had reacted. Violently. Painfully violent. Throwing himself against his prison to get to his host, already injured and barely recovering.

At least now Eddie knew why he was bruised, battered, with a bad shoulder and knee, and why he had been drugged to the gills.

Right now he felt such a murderous intent bubbling up inside him, Eddie wasn't sure it was himself or Venom or them together.

"Could you feel them hurting me?" he asked softly.

 _ **You are my host, Eddie.**_

"That doesn't really answer my question. We weren't one at the time. You shouldn't be able to feel my pain."

Silence.

"Venom?"

Still silence.

Eddie sighed and rolled his eyes. "C'mon, talk!"

Venom shifted inside him, clearly not at ease with what he was feeling. And since Eddie only caught faint shadows of it, his partner was clearly trying not to let him feel it.

"I thought this was an us, not a you and me whenever it fits you," he said, voice sharper than he actually wanted it to be.

Venom snarled in response, the aggression almost expected.

 _Talk!_ Eddie snapped mentally.

 _ **Something remains. Like an echo. A shadow of you with me.**_

Huh. Right. Okay. Weird.

"But…" he said slowly. "We're separate organisms, right? There's no weird connection?"

 _ **We have been together longer than any symbiote has ever lived with a host. There is… an imprint. It… reflects.**_

Eddie blinked. Well… wow…

"So… you kinda felt it?"

 _ **The echo is not strong enough to physically hurt me, but they hurt you. They dared to hurt my bond-host!**_

The last was said with such ferocious anger, it had Eddie draw a deep breath, steading his nerves. There was a deeper meaning to this, with more layers, and he might get behind it one day, but right now he didn't want to think too deeply about it.

Especially since they were both handling the trauma of their abduction.

Especially since the idea of having a lingering connection to his favorite parasite while Venom was outside his body was unnerving enough.

That he had felt them torturing his host.

And the way he had reacted…

Eddie swallowed. He knew his symbiote was possessive of him, that he wasn't easily pushed into abandoning the body that protected him, but this… this was insane!

Venom boiled to the surface again, enveloping him partly, then curling a light tendril of himself around Eddie's chest and neck. He hummed softly, saying nothing, but the emotions were clear. The possessive feeling was always there, but now it had other layers that Eddie really didn't want to look at all too deeply.

Yeah, he was good at compartmentalizing, which was a great ability in their case, and he hated analyzing his own feelings.

His eyes were back on the flash drive and he picked it up. All the evidence was on here, but it was nothing he could actually publish or show anyone else. Eddie was still revolted by the cold, calculating way the faceless people who had never stepped into the view of the camera had acted. They had had no respect for what Venom was, that he was sentient life form, able to feel pain, able to feel fear.

Able to die.

No wonder he had ended up out of his mind, attacking his host, and then falling into a kind of coma.

"Drake treated you better than them," he murmured, voice barely audible.

To Venom it was, though.

 _ **I still didn't like it.**_

He laughed wryly. "Yeah. You were a prisoner. But he didn't run such cruel experiments!"

 _ **We were a scouting party,**_ the symbiote reminded him. _**Of the invasion. Riot might not have been prepared to die, but he was prepared to sacrifice us. He escaped and left us to be found.**_

Eddie grimaced.

He now also knew that the Avengers had been the ones responsible for all first explosions, that some of the security locks had malfunctioned, which had resulted in some of the other prisoners escaping. One of them had been able to set things on fire because it had been a burning mass itself.

Sadly, it had been killed by whatever else had been captured. He hadn't really seen much in the inferno, only a big shape eating the fire thing. The cameras had been unable to capture details.

The labs had been destroyed completely and what had survived had been secured by the Avengers. They had come in full force and really flattened the whole facility.

Eddie could count himself lucky to have come out of it alive.

Somehow.

His reporter side was itching to dig into this whole mystery, to find out who their kidnappers had been, who else had been abducted, what they had been doing there. He wanted to know.

 _ **They know**_ , Venom repeated, voice a little more uneven, less menacing than normal. _**About us. About the prison we were kept in.**_

"Yeah, well, they've known about us since the beginning, it seems. They didn't come after us. Big plus. And if I understood Agent Coulson, they turn a blind eye to our… hero stuff stuff."

Venom huffed. Then he preened a little.

Eddie grinned.

"As for the rest, well… apparently this was an Avengers matter. And now it's gone up in flames. You okay?" he asked at the sharp twist he felt in his gut and that wasn't him.

 _ **No. Neither are you. They hurt us. I want to kill them!**_

Okay, there was the familiar darkness again. The murderous intent. "Well, they're dead. And no, we're not looking for survivors to eat their heads."

Venom huffed again, annoyed.

 _ **I'm hungry.**_

He sounded almost petulant, which had Eddie grin. Yep, sometimes he was co-existing with the alien symbiote version of a three year old child in his body.

Venom, catching on to that thought, growled. A sinister, dangerous warning, which Eddie ignored. He had learned a lot since the start of their cohabitation project. One was that Venom was more fangs and growls sometimes. He wouldn't say he was more bark than bite, because the symbiote did bite; a lot. But generally his annoyance was quickly dissipated through chocolate, bad movies, and going out to scare the crap out of bad guys. With the occasional bitten-off head if they couldn't help it.

"You're always hungry."

 _ **I need sustenance.**_

"We had food."

There was a disgruntled growl.

Eddie smiled. After everything Venom had been through, it as a miracle he hadn't overpowered Eddie, become them, and laid waste to Portland's criminal scene.

"We're not going out and ripping people's heads off. Chocolate's fine."

 _ **It's boring. I could devour your brain**_ , Venom suggested ominously.

"Yeah, well, look how far that gets us."

 _ **It's not like you're using it most of the time anyway.**_

Eddie smirked. Venom was really feeling better, judging by the snark. He grabbed a chocolate bar and ate it.

 _Right now we're going to stay here, enjoy some downtime, stuff our faces, and heal._

 _ **I healed you, Eddie!**_

The fang-face was suddenly back out, staring at him in displeasure. Eddie nodded.

"Yes. You did. Thank you for that. But you were injured, too. Very badly."

Venom's eyes narrowed and the anger boiled up again.

 _ **I'm not weak!**_

"I never said that," he said reasonably. "What we need is to handle this mess and then move on. No revenge trips, Venom!" He held up a warning finger.

Venom pulled back non-existent lips over very much existent fangs. Gleaming, vicious fangs that looked longer than Eddie's lower arm. A dark, nasty noise could be heard.

"And I want to investigate into this Tri group. They knew about you, about us, and they caught others. Probably tortured others, too. I don't want to run into them again."

He felt Venom's rising pleasure at the thought of chasing and bringing down who had caught them.

 _ **They won't get us a second time!**_

"With sonic waves and fire? Yeah, they will. You have weak spots, my friend."

The symbiote hissed angrily, teeth gnashing. Eddie reached out, unafraid, brushing over the silky mass. As slimy as it looked, it was anything but that. Warm, strangely rubbery, and with a silky feel. Venom calmed down, humming, feeling pleased.

"I want this time for us, buddy. We've got nowhere to be. Anne paid the room for us until the end of the month. I've got my credit card back and maybe I can put some work in."

 _ **You should start with cleaning yourself up**_ , came the growl, white eyes narrowing as Venom looked at him. _**You look disgusting.**_

He plucked at his clothes. Sure, yeah, they could need a change, but they weren't their own sentient life form yet, had no holes and no food stains on them. The colors were okay, actually. They barely clashed.

"Since when are you a fashion critic?" he teased.

 _ **I wasn't talking about your non-existent fashion sense.**_

"Oh, that's rich coming from a bucket of black sludge!"

 _ **I don't look like a zombie.**_

"Yeah, just like a slimy, deep-sea eel parasite thing out of a low budget horror film."

 _ **I'm not a parasite!**_

"And I'm not a zombie."

Venom flowed in front of him, eyes narrowing. _**Zombie**_ , he growled. _**You need to take better care of yourself.**_

Eddie rubbed a palm over his face, his head, hair disheveled. "I had other things to worry about, okay? Looking presentable wasn't high on the agenda."

The symbiote moved a little closer, the dangerous jaw next to Eddie's ear. He hummed, a wet rumble, interrupted by chuffing gurgle.

 _ **We are one again, Eddie.**_

Yes, they were. Now.

 _I missed you, you douchebag blob!_ he thought angrily. _You were gone!_

Venom suddenly sank back into him, the sensation of a hug everywhere over Eddie's skin.

 _ **I'm back now,**_ that dark voice whispered roughly. _**Time for you to be back, too.**_

Fighting the overwhelming emotions, all what hadn't been said, all he had felt and was still feeling, Eddie smiled wryly. "Alright. I can take a hint."

 _ **Since when?**_

He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, still grinning to himself. He stripped off the old clothes, glancing briefly in the mirror.

Yeah, he looked like he was trying to get a part in a zombie movie. Almost as bad as the time he had been sick to the core the hours after Venom had merged with him. The same bags under his eyes, the same pallor, the same exhaustion. This time he didn't feel like throwing up, though.

Stepping under the cascading water, Eddie closed his eyes and relaxed.

It felt good to be back to normal. So very, very good.

tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

He got himself a cheap notebook later that day, with secure access to the net. Eddie grinned to himself, feeling almost back to normal as he started taking notes on everything that had happened, what he knew, about Tri, and he searched through obscure websites he had memorized a long time ago. He got his feelers out for anything else related to a group by that name, hung around forums and read blogs.

It felt good to work. It felt even better to have the peanut gallery harking him about food, choice of entertainment, or whatever came to Venom's mind.

XnXnXn

They did go on a hunt because Venom was getting extremely restless, the hunger gnawing at his insides. No chocolate was alleviating the hunger pains. He was pacing under Eddie's skin, sometimes showing himself like a surfacing whale, black tendrils arching off and some of them waving around.

"Will you stop it!" Eddie snapped, slightly unnerved and extremely irritated by the end of the first day it had started.

 _ **I'm hungry!**_

He groaned. "You're not hungry, you're just bored!"

 _ **We haven't been out for too long! We haven't fed!**_

"Because you were an unresponsive piece of organic mass inside me! You were in a coma!"

Venom hissed, oozing out of Eddie's body and staring at his host, emotions sharp with displeasure and the remembered agony of his tortured and subsequent catatonic existence. The nightmarish face snarled, all darkness and danger.

Eddie would have been scared shitless a mere two years ago, but right now he was just annoyed and at the end of his rope because Venom was bugging him.

The symbiote felt his thoughts, rearing back, shark-like jaws opening in a threatening gesture.

"Cut it out!" Eddie ordered.

The next surge just fed into his irritation. For a moment he wanted to just yell, scream out his frustration. Eddie closed his eyes instead, exhaling sharply, refusing to fall into that vicious circle.

"We were hurt," he whispered sharply. "We're still hurt. We're not going into situations that might make things worse, Venom. I don't want…" He stopped.

The images of the video feed were back on his mind, pushing forward, reminding him that Tri had nearly torn his symbiote apart, had tortured him, had tortured Eddie.

Venom shook himself, rippling under his host's skin.

 _I know you don't want to hear it, buddy, but you're not yet up to your old strength and neither am I. We're one. We need to take care of each other, but running head first into danger isn't taking care of each other!_

The milky eyes regarded him, the anger still there. Venom was too restless, too caged, too everything. He was getting stronger, he was ready, he wasn't weak… he was Venom!

They looked at one another.

 _ **I could make you**_ , Venom threatened. There was no real threat in it. Actually, he sounded almost petulant. The sinister growl was absent.

"But you won't," Eddie replied calmly, confidently. Because he felt it.

He knew it.

The symbiote huffed, teeth clicking, then the tongue darted out briefly.

Eddie reached out, cupping the jaws, Venom stilling in his grasp. There were no words between them, only the back and forth along their minds, and he smiled a little.

"I know," Eddie said softly. "I really know and we will go out, but nothing big, okay?"

Another huff, but Venom felt more at peace.

"Parasite," Eddie said fondly.

A tendril of black whipped around a wrist, like a warning.

He smiled more. _Yeah, I like you, too_ , he thought. _You little jerk-face asshole._

Venom faltered, the waving darkness stilling for a second, then he melted back into his host with a contented rumble.

XnXnXn

They left the apartment in the middle of the night.

Venom should be feeling pleased and triumphant, but there was something else. Something warm, wanting, longing, needing, and Eddie smiled as he walked through the dark streets, hands pushed into his jacket.

"Let's go."

They scouted around the dark alleyways and back yards, watching for criminal activity on a larger scale. There had been some name-calling, some jay-walking, one speedster, and one old lady crossing at a red light.

Nothing serious.

They got lucky a little later, as did a girl walking home on her own.

Eddie stepped back into the 'we' of Venom, let his symbiote take over, though he never gave up complete control. His body changed, grew larger, gained in mass, and while it was still him, it was also suddenly a lot more them. Venom surrounded him, was everywhere, inside and out, was him and Eddie was Venom.

They were Venom.

They growled in anticipation, jaws open, tongue tasting the air.

Her would-be rapist screamed as his worst nightmare dropped in on him, the girl half-stunned by the blow he had given her to subdue the barely legal teenager.

And then he ran.

Venom chuckled darkly, his wide smile chilling. _**Yeeees. We love a good chase. It makes the prey so much more tasty. So much more fulfilling.**_

"Don't play with your food," Eddie muttered.

The symbiote grinned even more. _**But it's so much fun!**_

In the end there was only one outcome.

No trace of the man would ever be found.

Nor of the drug trafficker who happened to come their way as he was peddling to teens hanging around a 24/7 supermarket.

" _ **Isn't it a little late for you?"**_ Venom asked, the sinister twist to his voice making them scream and almost wet themselves. They couldn't be older than maybe thirteen or fourteen.

Eddie was sure they would never set out foot in the dark ever again. And they might need therapy.

Finally no longer hungry, Venom sank back into his host. Thin, black tendrils remained looped around Eddie's lower arms, encircling his wrists, and he raised a pointed eyebrow at them.

That was new.

His symbiote didn't comment.

Huh.

XnXnXn

He got himself large frozen mocha from a fast food joint, drinking it as he sat in a back corner, enjoying the treat. While he never had the remaining taste of Venom's meals in his mouth, the drink helped soothe him.

Eddie watched the night clientele as he nursed his mocha, then left before caught the attention of the cashiers. Police had already driven by outside, probably patrolling, and while they had done nothing wrong, he didn't want any focus on him.

XnXnXn

They roamed the streets until dawn, scaring a few more criminal elements. Portland now had one more urban legend and for the foreseeable future, the bad element might just be a little more cautious. Venom was highly amused by it, actually proposed to go out every night to put the fear of him in them, but Eddie vetoed it.

They had to lay low, be as invisible as they mostly operated, especially since he now knew the Avengers were watching.

 _ **We can take them**_ , Venom muttered mulishly.

"No. My final word."

It got him an annoyed grumble.

Eddie looked at the very blatantly visible dark tendrils curled around his wrists, felt the one around his lower neck melt back into his body, and he only raised an eyebrow.

Venom refused to be baited.

For all the changes since their first meeting, for all the adaptations, the compromises, the abduction and near-death experience had changed something profoundly in his symbiote.

And him.

Them.

They watched the sunrise, then walked back to his apartment, tired enough to sleep.

XnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXn

The nightmares were something Eddie had expected. For all his symbiotic relationship with an alien puddle of black tar, he was still very much human. And the human mind was very complicated, something even Venom had remarked on a few times. It worked through trauma in its own way.

For Eddie, it meant not nightmares but night terrors.

Faceless memories that he couldn't remember in detail, but the distressing emotional reaction was clear as day.

He woke to feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety, disoriented, reaching inside to check on his symbiote's presence, and only relaxed when he sensed the other's presence.

 _ **You dream vividly**_ , Venom remarked gruffly as he welled up from his skin, covering every inch of his host's bare arms and chest, tendrils of himself sliding over Eddie's neck.

The workings of the human mind was too complex for Venom to truly understand, though it hadn't stopped him from making snide and derogatory remarks concerning Eddie's intelligence, or that of the human race. His host had mostly ignored it, aware that it was Venom's form of banter.

Dreams were part of the brain's default network, dealing with events of the day. They were recent autobiographical episodes that became woven with past memories to create a new memory to be referenced later.

At least the scientists said that.

Night terrors, though…

There was no content to the feeling of terror or simply scary image.

It wasn't a dream. It was a surge of something and it was worse than dreaming of falling down the side of a building. Getting torn to pieces by Riot. Burning.

Eddie exhaled sharply, closing his eyes, chasing after what he could still remember. It were only fragments, but the memories didn't have to include images. Emotions, the loss, the pain, it was memory enough.

Especially the loss.

There was a hum. Almost like a vibrating purr, barely there, but Eddie knew it wasn't a figment of his imagination.

 _ **I'm here.**_

"Yeah, you are," he whispered roughly, voice cracking just a little, but enough to make him wince internally.

The darkness still crawled over his skin, restless. It should be another night terror, but it wasn't. It was actually soothing him very much. Eddie lay back, felt Venom sink deep, caress his jittering nerves, calming his racing heart.

Venom was there.

He hadn't perished. He hadn't turned into a forever unresponsive lump inside his terrified host. He was healing, regrowing, getting stronger, and there would be no scars.

Familiar and still yet unfamiliar emotions raced through, tore at his very soul. He hadn't lost his partner, hadn't lost part of himself.

 _ **We are resilient. We cannot be brought down.**_

Eddie smiled thinly. "Pep talk? So not like you."

 _ **Humans are emotional creatures. You needed to hear it.**_

 _Riiight_ , went through his tired mind. _Keep telling yourself that_.

Venom refused to comment on what he clearly had heard, but he was keeping Eddie cocooned in himself, warm and safe, a physical reminder that they were still an 'us', that Eddie wasn't alone, that Venom was healing perfectly fine.

It was a sudden silence they had both been through so many, many times in the past. Neither wanted to openly say what had happened, though with Venom now calling Eddie his bond-host, the cat was out of the bag. And it was rather lively and loud.

XnXnXn

It didn't change the fact that the terrors stayed with him for a while, though he was getting better at handling them.

He never woke screaming. The disorientation remained for a while and finally lessened. The overwhelming sensation of loss was harder to handle and it took the longest to pass.

Having dark tendrils curl around his arms, fanning over his fingers and forming a protective glove, the sensation of a reassuring squeeze of his hands, helped.

Venom helped. Knowing he was there, even if he didn't talk, was reassuring.

Anyone who had ever seen the symbiote or the two working as one, looking like right out of a cheap horror flick, would argue that Venom couldn't help. Wouldn't help. That he was just using Eddie's body as a ride.

Eddie knew so much better.

And he knew his symbiote was suffering from his own memory flashes, though they rarely ever washed into the human's mind.

What Eddie got were the for Venom unfamiliar feelings of fright, of getting torn to pieces, of maybe dying piece by piece.

Neither really talked, but being together helped. It was instinctual on both sides, host and symbiote, and while Eddie had never had an alien symbiote, he seemed to be doing right by him. What he did was exactly what was needed.

Because he was the bond-host?

 _ **Yes**_ , whispered through him.

XnXnXn

So they powered through it.

Doggedly. Stubbornly. Tenaciously.

XnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXn

They left on the last day of their paid stay and Eddie never felt more balanced. It had nothing to do with meditation exercises – which he hadn't even tried.

It was sheer willpower on both their ends, seeing this through in their own way, with only each other as a crutch and help. Having Venom wrapped around him at night, feeling him close, helped. It helped both of them. Venom was quieting down, the emotional surges lessened, the demand for food that didn't sate hunger, was just something to take the symbiote's mind off things.

He called Anne when he had packed his few belongings, thanked her, promised her an update on what had happened the moment they were back in San Francisco.

No one followed them as they took the rental car Eddie had procured out of the city and onto the highway.

He wanted to take the long way home. Flying appealed to neither of them and Eddie hadn't been on a road trip in a while. If Coulson wanted to track him, so be it

tbc...


	8. Chapter 8

It took them almost four days to get back home.

Eddie took his time, driving the long route, sometimes detouring, sometimes the scenic drive, just to check whether or not he still had a tail. He came through places he had never heard of and that consisted mostly of a gas station with a supermarket, three houses, and nothing else.

He was under no illusion that he could really shake a watcher if that person was determined and had access to Stark's tech. But he didn't want to give them the pleasure of a leisurely drive either.

It was actually fun from time to time, sitting at a gas station, eating a sandwich, drinking coffee, playing the guessing game whether or not other patrons were agents or regular joes.

Venom didn't mind. He was still healing, getting back into his old shape, and the bad nights got less and less. They went on a hunt once – deer, rabbit, birds - and his symbiote was a quiet, pleased little presence inside him for the rest of the night.

They lost one day when a storm blew over the small town Eddie had stopped in for the night. It was a cute little place, very picturesque, very much on the tourist track. They had cottages for rent on a camp ground and Eddie had decided on that, not the B&B.

The weather turned bad within hours, the night nothing but endless torrents of rain, thunder and lightning.

XnXnX

That night, Eddie slept deeply and undisturbed for the very first time, too.

Venom, who rarely slept and never needed any real downtime, kept an eye on his host. He had checked and rechecked every cell, looking for anything amiss, for any kind of remaining injury.

But Eddie was whole.

Black tar flowed over the formerly so badly bitten up hand. The stitches were gone, consumed by Venom who had found them distasteful, and there wasn't a single scar.

It was the same every time he checked and he checked every single night.

His work.

Perfect work.

Knitting the skin he knew so well back together, making them flawless. He caressed every finger. All muscles, sinews and capsules were like new. No damage remained.

It had been his fault.

He had bitten his host.

Nearly bitten the hand off.

Eddie mumbled a little in his sleep and turned on his side.

Venom had never been one for introspection or feelings of guilt. Until Eddie. His host. Current host.

Venom sneered at the thought. Current! Pah!

His bond-host. The one he intended to never give up, no matter what. The one he was fused to so deeply, others of his kind would call him more than a loser. They would brand him as insane for allowing himself to become so intricately interwoven with a vessel, so inseparable, that it would hurt him to without Eddie Brock. He would never think about consuming any of his host's organs, even if it meant hunger, starving, pain. He wouldn't leave for another, seemingly more perfect host, because there was no one better, no one more perfect.

No, nothing would separate them.

Well, until he had been forced out of the human shield he wore. His vessel. His other half. The one who protected him from Earth's unwelcoming environment. The one he would protect just as fiercely and with everything he had.

Being forced to part from Eddie had been the most horrifying time in his life. Missing Eddie. His physical pain had been secondary to the agony of not having his host, of seeing where they had him locked up. Drugged. Injured. Injuring him more to evoke a reaction.

The loneliness had been worse than any of the pain they had introduced, be it fire or sound. Nothing could compare to that and if they had known, they would probably have done much worse to Eddie, just to see results. Witnessing his pain. Their pain.

Venom shuddered a little, quieting immediately when Eddie grumbled and huffed, moving a little more.

No other human shell had been this perfect, so much of a match. No animal had been a passable host. Everything had been wrong. And now, everyone besides Eddie would feel wrong, grating on him, pushing him away.

It was a matter of self-preservation to keep the host alive, though Venom hadn't managed that with the first few humans he had taken, or the various animals before. They hadn't been… good enough. Weak. Easily devoured. And his hunger had overridden everything else. He had simply taken what he needed, feeling stronger, and the humans outside his prison hadn't understood why the symbiote hadn't accepted the vessels. He might have been able to make it work, with an effort, accepting inferior bodies, but at the time he had been so hungry. So, so hungry.

Until Edward Brock.

A freak chance. One in a million.

Eddie had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Venom had never felt so good, so amazing, when within a host.

The symbiote had gone and done everything in his power to save him, to keep him alive, because of the incredible fit. Not just physically. All of him. His mind. Yes, that intriguing mess of a mind, so powerful, so wild, so much like Venom's own. They were both disasters, both in their own, unique ways, but together they were so much more and so unmatched, so excellent.

Eddie had accepted him. All of him.

Eddie wanted him. All of him.

Eddie was his and for the first time in his existence, Venom had wanted to belong to his host, too. He had wanted symbiosis, a partnership.

And then more.

He had wanted Eddie to himself, to be his, and he had formed the bond without really consciously thinking about it. He had fused himself to this special human.

The symbiote flowed over the resting form, letting himself sink into the relaxed, balanced state that was them together.

 _ **Mine**_ , he purred softly. There was a surge of possessive need, a selfish want.

Eddie sighed, still asleep, and curled up more. He mumbled something and Venom caught his name, more though the bond than anything else. It had something inside him shiver with happiness.

Then sleep dragged Eddie's consciousness back under.

XnXnX

Outside the torrential rain continued unabated.

XnXnX

In the morning half the camp ground was flooded.

So Eddie stayed in, waiting for everything to get better. He didn't mind. Neither did Venom, who wasn't even pushing him for food. They had enough, though. Eddie had bought a lot of juicy steaks and sausages, fries and tater tots, not to mention the elixir of Venom's life: chocolate.

XnXnX

They felt in tune; calm. No rush to move on.

XnXnXXnXnXXnXnXXnXnXXnXnXXnXnX

Eddie came home to an overflowing mailbox and three delivery boxes stacked inside his garage. It was the designated drop-off for packages when he wasn't home.

They had been gone for almost a month, Eddie suddenly realized.

Venom made hungry, gleeful noises as Eddie read the labels. It was from the store that sold reject chocolate by the box. It was really good stuff and the only reason they had to sell it off cheap was because of manufacturing flaws.

"Geez, take it easy," Eddie muttered as Venom flowed out of him, lashing at the box to open it. "We just had some!"

 _ **This is better! So much better!**_

He grinned and carried the boxes inside, dark tendrils already digging through it all. Eddie indulged his symbiote by eating a few bars right away.

Venom was one happy camper.

XnXnX

When he went by Anne's place after his return, freshly changed into clean clothes after a long shower, it was late in the afternoon.

She opened the door, eyes widening as she saw him, and then she hugged them tightly, whispering a 'thank god you're alright' into his ear.

Eddie hugged her back with a thin smile.

He was. Now he was. No, they were.

Dan simply gave him a nod, looking not at all bothered by the fact that his fiancée was hugging her ex.

Eddie stayed for dinner, told the couple what had happened, answered a thousand questions. Venom was uncharacteristically silent, only pushing a few emotions into Eddie's mind, especially when it came to food.

None of those suggestions included eating Dan or the cat. Anne was off limits, since she was a former host, not to mention that Eddie wouldn't let him.

He ate enough to feed five people, drawing amused looks from Anne and curious ones from Dan. While Venom hadn't forgotten about the 'parasite' episode, he had forgiven Dan.

In his own way.

He wouldn't eat him.

Big plus there, Eddie had decided.

"Hey, I'm eating for two," he now muttered around sinfully good chocolate cake that had Venom hum in appreciation and demand more.

Half the cake, actually

Anne took it in good humor.

"It's a small miracle you don't look like a whale," she commented.

"Good genes."

"Yours or Venom's?"

A tendril snapped out of Eddie's left shoulder and snatched a truffle off Anne's slice.

"Right," she said wryly and pushed the whole cake toward Eddie. "Table manners still non-existent. I should have known."

Dan looked only a little perturbed, but otherwise Venom's presence in their lives was… normal. He rarely came out fully, sometimes just presented as a shadow sliding over Eddie's skin, the occasional tendril reaching for more food.

When Venom did show his terrifying deep sea creature looks, it was mostly to provoke, shock or annoy their friends. Anne had verbally smacked him a few times and Dan was getting better not jumping out of his skin.

Mostly the symbiote behaved. It was oddly domestic, accommodating and… nice.

It also felt good to easily talk to his ex and her future husband, to share the knowledge of Venom, their acceptance of the weirdness and the fact that Eddie was host to an alien creature.

For the first time since waking up in that prison cell, Eddie felt himself relax a little. Venom was happy, high on phenethylamine, and rather relaxed himself.

XnXnX

Anne bullied him into another lunch this weekend. At home, not a restaurant.

Eddie accepted.

 _ **You're so easy, Eddie**_ , Venom whispered nastily. _**Still carrying that torch?**_

"I'll always love her, but I'm no longer in love with her," he replied quietly as they walked the hilly roads of San Francisco, just stretching their legs.

The bay was shrouded in fog, the Golden Gate barely visible.

Venom was quiet, pondering the words, listening to Eddie's mind.

He hadn't felt anything of the like for any for a very long time now. He loved her, yes. Appreciated her. She had his back and so did Dan. He couldn't ask for better friends. And Dan was a decent good guy, one who had some weird shit and was still there.

 _ **I have your back**_ , Venom suddenly said, startling him.

"Uh. Yes? I mean, yes, I know. What the hell?"

Darkness spread in thin lines over his chest and arms, curling around the extremities, then sank into the skin again. Eddie blinked and just stopped, listening inward.

 _Venom?_

 _ **We are enough?**_

Eddie stuffed his hands into his pockets, ducking his head down a little as he smiled widely.

"Yes, we are," he said softly.

tbc...


	9. Chapter 9

He wouldn't be the tenacious reporter he was known to be if Eddie Brock didn't dig into the mystery as to who had kidnapped him and Venom. He had a name on the streets, as well as within the walls of many publishing buildings and newspaper rooms, and he knew a lot of people. A lot. Many with more than just a shady past or occupation; some didn't even officially exist or had officially died a long time ago.

Eddie wasn't above using whatever resources he had, especially when it came to his own case.

Venom sat in the back of his mind as he worked his network, as he talked to shadowy and not so shadowy men and women. He radiated intrigued interest as to who these people were, was fascinated by the involvement of many in very criminal organizations, as well as the depth of their knowledge when it came to aliens among them.

 _ **We were not your first contact**_ , he stated. _**There were rumors about this planet, but we didn't follow up on them.**_

Mostly because Venom's race wasn't a space faring civilization, nor did they have technology. Eddie had given up on trying to translate the symbiote culture into something his human brain could understand or even put into words. He did understand it on a level because Venom was so deeply interwoven with him, because of the bond they shared, but he wouldn't be able to explain it.

Symbiotes weren't simple-minded, instinct-driven parasites like a virus. They were a lot more complex, were as vastly different in their personalities and development as humans could be, too, but they were… well, aliens.

"Yeah, there's been a lot of alien stuff going on in recent years. It stopped being real news a long time ago. Doesn't help us with this, though. We're not getting a lot."

 _ **We know more than before.**_

They knew Tri was like a super secret, friends-only science society.

They knew Tri loved everything otherworldly, alien, supernatural, or any mix of it. They took an interest in every alien or half-alien, or mutant, out there.

They were a very small group, absolutely exclusive, employing only the best, the brightest and the most morally bent. What Eddie had gotten through his contacts was that whoever joined as way, way out of control, people no sane or even slightly crazy lab would think about employing because they had no qualms about the worst science experiments, right down to human trials with a high death toll.

Yeah, well, that sounded a little like Carlton Drake.

And they wanted to enhance themselves with what they learned from their so-called studies.

Eddie wondered if Drake had been a member. The man would have fit.

Ever since the Avengers raid Tri had disappeared, gone off the grid, under the radar, thin air.

One of his contacts had mentioned that the Avengers had been after Tri for a while. Still, Eddie wanted his own answers, wanted to see how far he could delve into this secret.

It wasn't easy to retrace his steps from just before he had blacked out, mainly because of that black-out. Even with Venom's help Eddie barely remembered anything. The brain is a fickle thing. Venom refused to do more than dig around his memories, mainly because he might just do more damage than good.

So Eddie went through his notes, even asked Anne if he had mentioned anything, and he sorted through the contents of the flash drive.

Eddie called Mercy General in Portland, got the contact info for the ERT service that had airlifted him to the hospital, and they in turn helped him get the coordinates where he had been found.

It had been slow work, filled with bureaucratic hurdles, lots of red tape, but he was Eddie Brock. He wouldn't just give up or give in. He got what he wanted, even if he stepped on some toes in the process, and right now he couldn't care less.

This was about him.

About them.

So finally, standing in the middle of an Oregon forest with nothing but miles and miles of more forest around them, Eddie looked at the burned ruins of the lab facilities where he had been imprisoned at.

No memories teased.

Nothing at all.

Even Venom was mostly silent, projecting his discomfort.

The property was in the name of an obscure company that didn't exist, except as a name on paper. They had a basic website with no working links, and an address that was nothing but an empty lot in Chicago. Eddie had followed up on all leads, had hunted for whoever was really behind it, but in the end there was not much.

Ever since this place had gone up in flames and turned to ashes, Tri had gone quiet.

Maybe everyone had perished in the fire and explosion, and whoever had survived had been caught by the Avengers. Maybe the survivors had gone underground. Maybe Tri had disbanded.

Too many maybes.

Leaving the Jeep, Eddie hiked toward the ruins, tense, on edge, with Venom on high alert. His symbiote had already covered most of Eddie's body in a protective black layer, leaving his head free. He also hadn't adjusted the physical size. The black armor had come automatically, not initiated by Eddie, and he caught the thought behind it.

Protect.

 _Appreciated_ , he thought fondly.

Venom didn't comment, but the surges told Eddie enough.

"There's nothing here," he murmured. Aside from blackened ruins.

Venom rumbled, the black suit fluctuating. Tendrils of darkness arced out, dove back inside, alive.

"No idea what I really expected."

Certainly not a welcome committee with streamers and a prize for participation.

Venom chuffed at the thought. _**Too bad. I was looking forward to some fun.**_

It was disappointing, yes.

XnXnXn

They explored everything, Venom's superior strength and agility enabling them to get where Eddie himself might never have gotten.

There was nothing to see, nothing to find.

Everything was gone.

Carefully making their way through the blackened corridors, the ceilings mostly collapsed or just gone, the memories of the prison cells and labs ever-present, Eddie felt ill at ease, but also relived to see there were no bodies. He wasn't squeamish, but it would have been disturbing to see the dead left behind for the animals, with no respect as to the human beings they had been before.

Venom rumbled softly to himself. _**I would have liked a few snacks.**_

Eddie smiled humorlessly at the dark words, kicking at some loose rocks.

"They would have been rather crispy. And old. Weeks old. Yuck."

 _ **I wouldn't mind.**_

"You would. You're not a carrion eater."

 _ **It would do in a pinch.**_

Eddie chuckled, the banter lightening the mood.

Venom manifested out of his right shoulder, stretching on a sinewy extension, looking around. His jaws opened and closed a few times, teeth clicking.

"You're the one who keeps complaining about my choice of processed and cooked meat."

 _ **"I'd make an exception here. To feast on the bodies of my enemies," he whispered in that gravelly voice.**_

"Oh, boy," Eddie groaned. "You've been watching too many fantasy movies again."

Venom flowed over his shoulders, looking everywhere, displeased by the lack of anything edible. Anything interesting, actually.

"You really think they'd have left the dead bodies here to rot?" Eddie asked sarcastically, shooting his symbiote a look.

Venom huffed, baring his teeth in a vicious grin that nearly split his head in half. He curled a loose tendril around Eddie's neck.

"There's no one here. All the bodies were removed." He rolled his shoulders a little and Venom rippled over to the left as if trying to spot even a finger to chew on. "Just like everything else. This was a waste of time. No idea why I thought it would get us anything."

 _ **"They might have overlooked something."**_

"Like?"

Venom rumbled softly. Tendrils arced out of Eddie's body, then dove back inside. His symbiote was still tense, ill at ease, as if he was bothered by more than the lack of enemies.

 _Venom? What's up?_

There was a sudden hiss-snarl and his head whipped around, the milky white eyes narrowing on something in the trees. Venom's mouth opened and his tongue darted out, like a snake tasting the air. Eddie felt tension race through him, adrenaline spiking.

"What?" he asked in a very soft voice.

 _ **"We are not alone. We have eyes in the trees. I like eyes. They make a good snack. Before I devour their brains whole."**_

"Who's there?" Eddie called out, ignoring the seductively uttered, sinister words.

Black flowed all over him like in an endless waterfall, the living suit that was his symbiote as Venom sank back into his host's body. Already, Eddie saw the razor-sharp talons on the tip of his black-gloved fingers, felt Venom's barely contained want-need-hunger to stretch and grow, become them, spoiling for a good fight.

"Not yet," he murmured.

 _ **Your call.**_

Always his call. It was their deal.

There wasn't a lot out there that could take on Venom successfully in a fight. At least one that didn't involve sonic waves or fire.

"You shouldn't have wasted your time coming here," a voice said.

The living suit crept higher on Eddie's neck, leaving only his face from the jawline up free. One word. Just one word.

He reached for his symbiote, trying to project calmness, but Venom snarled and shook himself like the ravenous, lethal predator he was.

 **Ready.**

They were ready.

Eddie felt the perfection that was them. Only them. An us. He wasn't just a vessel, he was part of Venom, became Venom, just like Venom was Eddie, and the thrill of a good fight shivered through him.

A woman stepped out of the trees, dressed in a black, figure hugging suit, red hair falling on her shoulders. She appeared unarmed, but appearances really weren't everything. The way she moved, the way she held herself, it was only too clear.

And Eddie knew her, had read and written too much about all of them not to recognize this particular Avenger right away.

Black Widow.

 _ **Avengers**_ , Venom growled, the surface of the suit rippling.

"How would you know?" Eddie asked neutrally. "That I'm wasting my time."

"You are here, Mr. Brock."

He spread his arms. "It's a free country. Nice day, too. Nice scenery, weathers great, good time for a hike."

She smiled humorlessly. "I think you are looking for answers that aren't here. You want to know about Tri, have been digging, but there is nothing for you to find. They are gone."

"How comforting. So, you're my watcher now?"

 _ **She looks delicious.**_

 _We'd get acid reflux for sure._

Venom growled softly, rising behind his host like some HR Giger creature, all teeth and viciousness. It was terrifying to perceive, of that Eddie was sure. And Venom was making a point in displaying them as the horror they were instead of either not showing his nightmarish face or simply finishing Eddie's transformation into Venom.

 _Show-off._

 _ **She would make a nice appetizer.**_

Black Widow might not look impressed, but Eddie had become well-versed in prey fight-flight reflexes. Venom had confronted too many criminals, some of them trying to put on a brave, superior front, for him not to learn a few things. He could look behind any mask and see the primal instinct clamoring. This was a woman ready to do either. She had been ruthlessly trained, was one of the best, and while not super-powered or some kind of alien creature, she wasn't to be trifled with. As an Avenger, Natasha Romanova had also faced alien threats before, but Venom was something else.

She was terrified.

It was almost palpable.

And she was most likely not alone. Eddie felt Venom scan the area, hunting for more watchers.

 _ **There is another one.**_

It didn't really come as a shock either.

 _ **He might make a good meal, too.**_

 _How about not thinking with your stomach for once?_

Venom's response was a vicious and sinister chuckle.

"Well," Eddie said out loud. "I guess that's my cue to leave." He raised an eyebrow. "If you don't mind."

She met his eyes, then stepped slowly aside.

Venom didn't disappear into his host, nor did he dissolve the black suit around Eddie. He was on edge, still spoiling for a fight, and when they walked past the Avenger, he gave her a wide, wicked smile, dripping saliva, tongue lolling out.

 _Behave._

 _ **I am. I'm not eating her.**_

She didn't even twitch. Much. Eddie saw her face grow a little more pale, saw the little twitch of rising tension, and Venom felt it. Hunter to prey.

 _ **Fear. So tasty. And she truly fears us. I can sense it, almost taste it. It's deep down inside her. Can I lick her?**_

 _Gross_ , Eddie told him.

Venom relished in it. He delighted in the fear, in the terrified respect, and while he deferred to his host's wishes not to eat the Avenger, he didn't mind showing off just how close she was to becoming food.

Venom made small, snickering sounds that sounded as rough and sinister as could be. Eddie simply smiled at Romanova.

XnXnXn

He only reabsorbed into the host body when they were a few miles away from the site and Eddie stopped the Jeep.

Eddie just sat there, hands still curled around the steering wheel, expelling a breath.

"Fuck!"

So the Avengers were watching the site.

And them.

Well, he had expected both, if he was honest with himself.

 _ **We should have eaten her**_ , Venom commented, sounding almost petulant. _**I'm hungry.**_

"You're always hungry."

The symbiote huffed.

"And we're not going to start eating the good guys. You know the line. I have the last word. That's our agreement."

Venom bled out of him, the white eyes holding a strange expression.

 _ **You fear… for us.**_

"Of course I do, dumbass!" he snapped. "They're the Avengers! They know about us! They've been watching us! Judging us!"

Venom growled.

"And don't you start with the whole 'we can take them' nonsense! We couldn't! Not all of them! They know our weak points!"

Darkness lashed out from Eddie's body, tendrils curling, unfurling, twisting and then whipping back. They wrapped themselves around his body, his arms, his legs, his neck. Venom's maw opened and the gurgling snarl was vicious and angry.

 _ **I would never let them take you!**_ he hissed.

Eddie met the milky eyes, then reached out and touched the dangerous jaws, sliding vulnerable, easily bitten off fingers over the glistening, black surface.

Venom held still, the rest of him still moving erratically.

"I know," Eddie said, emotions he never talked about rolling through him, through them. "Neither would I let them take you without a fight either. But we know those fights can be lost. Tri proved it. It's why I don't want a confrontation with the Avengers. I don't think I can take this again, Venom."

He was enveloped in black, all of him but his head, and the symbiote slid closer, their faces inches apart.

 _ **You are mine.**_

He smiled. "Yeah. And you're mine, parasite. Mine alone"

Venom bared more teeth, but he didn't bite at Eddie. The barriers were down, emotions flowing freely, no words needed. He smiled.

Eddie had no doubts that the Avengers knew more about Venom's race than maybe even Venom himself. He didn't want to risk anything; ever. This was too important.

The symbiote rumbled and sank back into Eddie, leaving just a few thin tendrils wrapped around his neck and wrists, like alien jewelry.

"Let's go home," Eddie murmured.

 _ **Hunt?**_

He chuckled. "How about double glazed chocolate donuts and see what the nights brings?"

Venom hummed in agreement.

tbc...


	10. Chapter 10

Agent Coulson showed up again three months after their return from Portland, just as Eddie ran into another dead end about Tri.

Venom was frustrated. He was growing more demanding of actually fresh, live food, and Eddie wanted to slap him over his head more often than not. They had loud, heated arguments, but at least Venom wasn't trying to take over by force or just did what he wanted with his host's body.

Boundaries.

Limits.

And respect.

Venom had grown as an individual, but he had a temper and that showed itself now.

He could also pout like the best, which left Eddie with hours of silence in his head and not a shiver under his skin.

The symbiote wanted revenge, wanted to rip off heads, and there was no release for that, except when they went out and either scared the shit out of some small time crooks, or actually let the bigger fish disappear. One ruthless business man with a seemingly never-ending stream of slave laborers, who had no papers, held no rights and were used and abused like tools, not human beings, put up an exciting chase and fight.

Venom reveled in the hunt. He stalked the man, went up against his formidable little army, and some of the weapons actually hurt. But the pain only drive them on and Eddie handed over most of the control to his symbiote.

Only when Venom had a surge of vicious rage, Eddie refused to give in to it.

He always won.

It was their deal.

Venom feasted on his prey that night, then disappeared into the darkness, leaving the scene to the cops. There was hardly a scrap to find.

Eddie, not Venom, was the one who walked into Mrs. Chen's store an hour later, picking up bags of sweets, some hearty snacks, and a tub of ice cream. His symbiote approved of it.

"Hey, Mrs. C. How are you?" he greeted her.

"Very good. How are you and you… parasite?"

Eddie grinned. "Very good," he echoed her words. "Any problems?"

"Never again since that night."

Because word travelled fast.

"Good to hear."

She rang him up, then held out a dark chocolate bar out to him. "For your… other half."

Eddie took it and her eyes were on his hand, widening slightly. Eddie saw a thin tendril of darkness wrap around his wrist, then slide over the back of his hand and fan along every finger. It looked like some crazy, living tattoo, actually rather cool, but it clearly wasn't just ink.

 _ **I like her!**_

 _You like everyone who gives you food._

"My little parasite says thank you," Eddie told the store owner.

Venom snarled wordlessly. _**Not a parasite!**_

Eddie smiled, then gave Mrs. Chen a quick salute as he left the store. Eddie ate the snack bar as a peace offering and Venom grumbled a little to himself.

"You know it's a term of endearment, right?" he asked under his breath lips barely moving.

Venom huffed. _**Parasites only feast and take. Riot was a parasite. I don't like that word. It still implies things.**_

"Not when I call you that."

Dark tendrils wrapped around his neck and lower arms, like an embrace, and Eddie smiled fondly.

 _ **You are allowed to**_ , Venom murmured.

He grinned.

XnXn

Coulson looked as non-descript as ever. Eddie had researched into him, too, but there had been less than little information to be gained. All he had managed to verify was that he might have been associated with SHIELD. Maybe. Big maybe. Could have been a false lead, too.

"Mr. Brock," the agent greeted him pleasantly. "I see you have regained your health." One eyebrow rose.

Eddie scowled. "What do you want?" he tried not to sound so distrustful, but he couldn't suppress it completely.

"First of all, I appreciate that you didn't harm my agents."

"Yours. Huh. Any reason they were at the lab site and you are here now?"

Coulson's bland smile was unnerving. Eddie had met his share of sleazy CEOs, power-hungry warmongers, corrupt managers, underground crime bosses, and heads of criminal cartels. He had been in the presence of very dangerous men and not all of them had looked the part. Coulson was a class of his own.

"The Avengers, as I have told you before, have been aware of your existence since the beginning," the agent now said casually. "We assessed the risk of the alien symbiote that chose you as its host, especially after we became aware of not only one but four of them on Earth."

Venom growled softly, sounding like a broken engine. Eddie poked hard at his symbiote. Venom simply snarled at him, too.

"The assessment wasn't an easy one," Coulson went on. "Especially since joining with a host makes the assessment of the individual Venom symbiote impossible. You were a wild card in the equation, Mr. Brock. We had no idea how much in control of yourself you really were after the possession, how much the symbiote was leading your actions, whether you were even conscious enough."

 _ **I didn't possess you!**_ Venom rumbled, voice dripping with darkness. _**You are the host. We joined.**_

 _Well, you didn't really ask and we compromised later. Big difference. From the outside it does look like a possession._

Venom didn't exactly radiate happiness. He was actually really pissed. Eddie leaned a little into the presence he felt in his mind.

 _We're a team. Partners._

That had him perk up again. _**Yes. Partners.**_

Coulson tilted his head ever so slightly. From the way he looked at them he seemed to be aware that there was a silent communication going on.

"There was quite a controversy on the topic on whether your mind was still your own or if the symbiote had erased you completely."

Eddie just about kept Venom's flaring violent reaction in check. The symbiote in question was just one word away from showing himself. If Coulson continued along this road, he might just find himself facing Venom and not just the host. So he simply smiled as blandly as the agent.

"All faculties still there and accounted for," he quipped.

"Considering the death toll the Life Foundation's experiments had, it was not the first that came to mind," was the mild reply. "Considering the pile of bodies Riot left in its wake, we wouldn't simply jump to such a conclusion."

"Yeah, well, I see your point. But it's been two years now and we manage. We work well together. We're not causing trouble."

"Debatable."

Venom boiled under Eddie's skin.

Coulson looked at him as if he was aware of just that fact. "The symbiote race is highly dangerous and in most cases contact is lethal."

Eddie didn't comment. He had had his share of highly dangerous and he knew what Venom's race was capable of.

"We were surprised when this particular symbiote changed its intentions."

"He," Eddie said neutrally. "They have no gender, but temporarily take on the gender pronoun of the host. Really flexible system, since they join with all kinds of life forms. Thought I'd tell you. Just in case it's missing in your file on us."

Coulson inclined his head. "Noted, Mr. Brock. As I said, we took notice of the difference between Riot and Venom. With you, there is no domination of one over the other. It's a partnership. You are very much in control of your body and mind despite your co-habitant, and the two of you are in tune. You are Venom, but you are also Edward Brock. It's a feat not many have managed before. Riot would have consumed and destroyed Mr. Drake's form eventually, too."

Venom agreed wordlessly. Riot had been an ass.

 _ **He never kept a host for very long. He loved the consumption. He went through hosts like they were nothing. Even those who seemed so very perfect.**_

Venom sounded disgusted. Especially when among Riot's many dead hosts there could have been his bond-host. Riot wouldn't have cared; he never had.

"Do all those words mean we're not going to have a permanent bodyguard?" Eddie asked evenly. "Eyes on us wherever we go, whatever we do?"

"You never had. We assessed the situation from afar. While you are an unmitigated disaster, lethal and unpredictable, you are not out of control."

 _ **I'm not a wild animal!**_

 _Would the peanut gallery please shut up?_

"Thanks," Eddie commented wryly. "Unmitigated disaster. Haven't heard that before. Thanks, really."

Coulson twitched a tiny smile and held out a small container. It was sealed.

Eddie didn't take it. His eyes narrowed and he felt himself tense a little. "What's that?"

Venom was restlessly moving beneath his skin, somehow put more and more on edge by the man. He had no explanation for it, because Coulson was so… so normal, so non-threatening, and still, Venom felt threatened.

"It's a compromise, Mr. Brock. And an offer to assist you and your symbiote. These capsules contain high dosages of phenethylamine."

Venom stopped sharply, the growl resonating in his host's head.

"I believe it could come in handy to quench a certain hunger for a while, though I believe it tastes better wrapped in chocolate."

Eddie stared at the box.

No way… no fucking way!

Venom was still growling, the sound so low, it was almost subsonic. It vibrated through him, made his skin crawl and his hair stand on end.

 _Why does this sound like he's our drug dealer now?_

 _ **Lure**_ , Venom hissed.

"I don't take candy from strangers," Eddie said out loud.

Coulson's mouth twitched into a small smile. He placed the box on the low table next to the door.

"Think about it. It can help in a pinch."

"Yeah, right, like I would eat something SHIELD cooked up."

The mild expression never wavered. "SHIELD was disbanded."

"Uh-huh. You know I'm a reporter."

Again the eye-brow twitch. "Then you should have your facts straight, Mr. Brock."

 _ **He's lying, and still he's telling the truth.**_

 _Yeah. SHIELD might be officially dead and gone, but I doubt that's really the case._

"This is an offer for help. From the Avengers. Dr. Banner personally developed these capsules. You can take them to another lab, have them examined, but we're not trying to poison you or the symbiote. I doubt we could succeed."

For a brief moment black tar slid over Eddie's arm, his chest, then disappeared. Coulson looked more intrigued than startled or even scared.

Yeah, he had been with SHIELD, Eddie decided. Definitely. High-ranking agent, possible handler, someone involved with the really bad shit.

"As it stands, Venom is a protector," the man said neutrally. He exuded such an air of being no threat, even the symbiote was baffled. "A lethal protector, sure, but not a villain either."

Venom bristled a little, not sure whether to be offended or tickled.

"To lessen the head count," another brief smile, "and in case chocolate runs low, these capsules offer an emergency ration. It's your choice, Mr. Brock. As it stands, I hope we won't see each other for a long time. If we should, I'd prefer to have you on our side."

With that Coulson inclined his head in a wordless good-bye, then he was gone.

Eddie closed the door and stared at the container. He knew enough shady drug cooks and chemists to get the contents checked, and he would ask around.

Venom manifested out of his shoulder and studied the container.

 _ **"We don't trust him."**_

"No," he said slowly. "We don't. Never trust such a perfect gift. Especially when given by a man like Agent Coulson."

Venom flowed closer, examining the innocent little container. Then he rose and met his host's eyes. The bond was wide open, emotions echoing back and forth. The symbiote was well aware what was going through Eddie's head.

Black trickled over his shoulders and Eddie smiled a little.

"I know a guy who knows a guy," he simply said as he pocketed the container. "We'll get answers."

XnXnXnXn

He contacted one of the shady guys he knew from his job two days later. The man was a known drug cook, one of the best, and he didn't really ask where Eddie had gotten the clear capsules from, simply took one and got to work.

The reply came not much later.

"It's pure phenethylamine."

"Huh. Okay. That's really it?"

"Yeah. That's what you expected?"

"Not sure what I expected. Thanks."

It got him a brief, humorless laugh. "You getting into the business, Brock?"

"Hardly."

"That stuff is worth something. You want it off your hands, let me know." The man grinned toothily. "I'd make you a good price."

Eddie's smile was cold, humorless, and a little bit of Venom in it. "See ya around."

Then he walked out the door.

No one followed him. Not that Venom would have minded. He liked to play.

XnXnXnXn

The capsules remained in their box. Safely stored in a hidden place at Eddie's apartment.

Venom was curious about them, offered to try one, but Eddie's protective instinct clamored loudly.

No way.

 _ **Just one, Eddie. We can take it.**_

"No," he said decisively. "I don't trust them."

Venom rumbled softly, rising out of his right shoulder, white, pupilless eyes studying him curiously.

 _ **Why would they try to kill us now? They have known about us for a long time. They had the chance when we were weak.**_

Eddie knew all that. He knew he had no logical argument. Coulson had told him that while the Avengers watched their exploits, they weren't seen as an enemy. More like the anti-hero.

"I'm not going to start popping pills," he ground out.

 _ **Emergency rations then.**_

"Yeah." Hell would have to freeze over for that.

Venom's slightly quizzical expression stayed. He caught Eddie's thoughts, the protective nature, and he rumbled softly.

 _ **I'm hungry.**_

"You're always hungry."

The head slid into his view, chasing away the thoughts about Coulson, needle teeth bared. The jaw opened slightly.

 _ **I want food.**_

Eddie groaned and pushed him away. "Alright, alright."

He already knew what Venom was aiming for. Tater tots and chocolate.

 _ **Or a hunt**_ , came the sly suggestion.

"Nope. Not happening today. Just…" He met the white eyes. "Promise me not to touch that stuff when I'm not looking, okay?"

Venom looked a little bemused. _**You worry too much**_ , he finally rasped.

Eddie shrugged one shoulder.

 _ **It wouldn't kill us.**_

"You don't know that, Venom!" he said forcefully, meeting the milky white eyes. "I don't trust them! End of story!"

Venom's eyes narrowed. Finally chuffed a little. _**Mother-hen.**_

"One of us has to be the reasonable one."

The symbiote laughed. It sounded rough and sinister. _**And that's you?**_

"Well, it's not you." He flicked a finger at the wide maw of teeth. "I've had enough close calls lately. I want to have some quiet time. Y'know… couch surfing, bad movies, some writing, talking to sleazy CEOs and managers… the usual. No more life and death."

Venom hummed, flowing over his body in his version of a warm blanket.

Eddie smiled, a wave of affection coursing through him. He grabbed snacks and leftovers that he quickly heated in the microwave. There was another warm wave, this time of happiness, and he knew where it was coming from.

tbc...


	11. Chapter 11

He threw himself into work. He wrote several high-profiling articles, investigating money making schemes that had ruined not just a few people, but had driven companies into bankruptcy. Venom snacked on three goons sent out to take care of the nosy reporter.

Eddie's boss wanted him to do a longer story on Stark Industries, their expansion into new sectors, the whole flood of Stark Tech that had taken over the market, and more.

He declined.

Eddie, and Venom, wanted to stay away as far as possible from Stark, the Avengers, and whatever was involved with them. Interviewing Tony Stark might be high on some reporters' lists, but not on his.

 _ **You think they will hurt us.**_

Eddie blew out a breath. "Maybe. Maybe not. We're not on their Christmas list, but according to Agent Coulson not on the shit list either. I don't want to draw attention, Venom."

 _ **You always do.**_ Venom sounded almost reasonable.

The nightmarish head took form, the white eyes meeting Eddie's dubious gaze. He reached out automatically, cupping the jaw, sliding a thumb in a caress over the gleaming black skin. Venom made soft, chuffing sounds, the jaws opening and revealing rows of sharp teeth. His tongue flicked out, briefly sliding over the bare skin.

 _ **"We wouldn't be in danger"**_ , the symbiote whispered roughly. " _ **We are not their enemy."**_

"I'm not risking it."

 _ **"Pussy."**_

He laughed and shook his head. He pushed at the terrifying face and Venom laughed darkly, tendrils lashing themselves around Eddie's body like a living net.

Eddie leaned back into the couch and Venom draped himself over his shoulders like a large, continuously reshaping snake.

 _ **"They fear us**_ ," he whispered. _**"Because they know nothing about us."**_

"I think they know plenty."

He grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels, deciding to ignore the news feeds and simply entertain himself with a few comedy reruns.

 _ **"Really? Maybe they do know who you are, Eddie. The loser. The disgraced reporter. The outcast."**_

Eddie gave him a narrow-eyed look. Venom grinned more, almost evil.

"Well, yeah, maybe. They know about your race, too, y'know. Coulson said so. Knowing the Avengers and SHIELD, or what's left of that and is now whatever they call it, well, they have their ways. There were four of you, right? Two died. Their bodies are probably in some kind of storage, on ice."

Venom reared back, snarling.

"And Riot's one crispy critter. Maybe they found parts of that stuff, too. You know about Thor? He's an alien, like you. Maybe the Asgardians encountered your kind. Maybe they have records. Whatever it is, they know."

 _ **"They don't know about us, Eddie. About Venom. We are unknown. Alone we might be on record, but as one, we are not."**_

Eddie pondered that. Huh. Yeah.

Venom projected smugness and he glared at his personal nightmare. The nightmare in question curled around him, the dozens of tendrils sliding endlessly over his skin and clothes, some sinking into him, some layering him in black.

 _ **"We are strong,"**_ Venom drove his point home.

"Not invincible."

The symbiote snorted.

"I've got enough work here. I'm not flying across the country just so you enjoy riling them up."

 _ **"I wouldn't. And New York sounds like a nice place to dine."**_

Eddie laughed at the words, catching a lot more along the connection. He scratched over the symbiote's head. Venom made a wet, purring sound that was accompanied by slurping gurgles.

"Always looking on the bright side," he teased. "With your stomach."

XnXnXn

They spent the rest of the day watching TV, Eddie muttering about some news reports. He finally switched to his laptop, researching for a new article, until it was late enough for them to go out and patrol.

XnXnXnXnXnXn

The wedding of Anne Weying and Daniel Lewis was, according to Anne, a small reception. Eddie pondered that two hundred people wasn't small in his book, but hey.

He had been invited, which meant Venom by default, too. The invitation even asked for a plus one, so he put down a 'V' and sent it back.

Venom was on his best behavior, especially since there was a chocolate fountain. They stayed back, in the back, even in the church. Eddie had to explain a few things to his symbiote, but at least it could be done silently through the mental connection. Having to talk to himself and look like a lunatic was a thing of the past.

Thankfully.

 _ **You are happy for her**_ , he stated when Anne said 'yes'.

Eddie felt emotions bubble through him, all of them joyous, and his eyes were a little wet.

 _I am._

 _ **You had wanted her, too.**_

 _Past tense, yes. Seeing Anne marry Dan makes me happy_ , Eddie told him with a smile on his face. _Dan makes Anne happy._

 _ **Do I make you happy?**_

He almost laughed out loud, glad he was in the back. _Yes. Very._

Venom pondered that as Anne and Dan kissed. The music played and the happy couple walked down the aisle. Anne's eyes found his for a second and Eddie smiled widely at her. She beamed back.

 _ **We are in a relationship.**_

Eddie almost stopped dead in his tracks while he walked out of the church with the others and he quickly headed for his bike. He donned his helmet.

 _ **Aren't we?**_

"Yes, we are. A relationship, a partnership, host-symbiote something whatever." Eddie sat on his bike, engine not yet running, the other guests filing slowly out of the parking lot. "What's going on, Venom?"

The symbiote was silent, thinking hard, his mind not open to Eddie at the moment.

 _ **You're my bond-host**_ , he finally said as Eddie watched cars crawl by. _**I don't possess you. You're not a possession. This partnership is not my domination over the host.**_

"I know," he replied softly. "And the beginning aside, I don't feel that way either."

 _ **We're equals.**_

"Yes."

 _ **Partners.**_

"Yep."

 _ **Perfect.**_

Eddie grinned, his face thankfully hidden. "You want to put a ring on it?" he teased.

Venom snorted. The concept was alien to him, though humanity wasn't the first race the symbiotes had encountered that had genders, partnerships, bonds, etc.

Eddie started the bike and followed the last few cars to where the reception would be held.

 _ **A rings means nothing in a symbiosis like ours.**_

"Yeah, probably." There was nothing closer, nothing more intimate, and nothing more permanent. Especially for them.

The whole mess with Tri had driven home that one fact: they were interwoven on such a deep level, they were essentially going to be together to the very end.

Venom hummed softly at those thoughts. _**I do not desire another host.**_

"I know. And I don't want any other symbiote. And I most likely wouldn't survive it."

 _ **There is only one perfect combo. Us.**_

Eddie felt his lips twitch. Warmth spread through him as Venom moved, encompassing him.

"No ring needed," he whispered.

XnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXn

The reception was outdoors. There were several large tents, a ton of food, a place for the kids to run and play, and also some more quiet areas, which suited Eddie when he gave in to the gnawing hunger. Not his own hunger; Venom's. He had no idea how much he had wolfed down because of Venom's appetite, but it was a lot. They had both become adept at hiding Eddie's extraordinary consumption of food items in the past years. While Eddie's plate was never empty, he didn't appear to be gorging himself on the fantastic offerings.

He gave Anne a hug and a kiss when she came over to him. She had changed out of the bridal gown into something more sensible, but she still looked stunning; radiant. She was his ex, yes, but she was also his best friend, and Dan was a really good guy. And his personal physician.

 _ **He hurt us**_ , Venom reminded him with a sinister twist to his voice, though it was mostly negated by the almost petulant undercurrent.

It was also an on-going argument that was just as childish as Venom's tone. Whenever Dan happened to be around, the symbiote brought up their first meeting. No matter what Eddie said, that Dan had acted as a doctor with a patient, interpreting symptoms, unaware of the alien being inside said patient, and no matter how often Eddie mentioned that it had been actually Anne who had turned up the sound, Venom would state his dislike for Dan Lewis.

 _You were being an ass back then_ , Eddie informed him neutrally. _You made me physically sick. Get finally over it. He's on our side. He's an ally. Stop being childish._

Venom grumbled. Dan might be the man with access to technology that hurt the symbiote, but he wasn't a bad guy. He was the man who made Anne happy. Anne was a former host and happiness was something she deserved. Still, Venom could hold a grudge like a pro.

At least on the outside.

His grumbling in that case was just for show. It was a game they played and that Venom usually started when he wasn't occupied by something else. He might never willingly let Dan take a closer look at him, but he had agreed to regular checks by the doctor to see if there was anything wrong with Eddie, his host, that the symbiote might not be aware of.

"Congrats," Eddie said out loud.

Anne's smile grew even more. She was beaming. Dan was at her side, looking happy and proud, too. Eddie shook his hand.

"You doing okay?" she asked.

"Yep. All okie-dokie. You might not have a lot of leftovers, though. And the chocolate fountain was a bad idea."

Dan blinked, glancing over to the desserts table. The fountain was still running merrily. Someone had had to refill it twice already, blaming the kids who loved it, too.

 _ **It's tasty.**_

Eddie almost rolled his eyes.

Anne laughed. "We ordered extra, actually." She winked. "Because of your plus one."

Venom snickered slightly, only audible to Eddie, and Eddie rolled his eyes.

tbc...


	12. Chapter 12

Well, this is it. Final chapter. I might write something else in this fandom, but I'm off to a vacation first and while I have my laptop with me, I might not get much written.  
I hope you enjoyed the story!

XnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXn

He mingled a little, talked to all kinds of interesting and not so interesting people. Some even recognized his name, asked him about his work, about his articles and reports, and he did his usual spiel of keeping them interested without revealing too much. One or two women tried to flirt with him. One was clearly a little intoxicated. The other made no secret out of her intent to get him into a corner and show him a good time.

Eddie declined politely, then with a little more force.

"Sorry, I'm already taken."

"Aw, c'mon, sweetie. She'll never know."

"Oh, he will."

She blinked, then smiled seductively. "You swing both ways. We can make it a threesome if you want."

"Lady, you better go now."

 _ **She's annoying.**_

Venom had dozed off a while ago. While he never slept, he had semi-awake periods. Eddie had once likened it to what sharks did; sleeping without being completely unconscious to the world, always aware of a situation, but not really awake. Venom could snap out of it in a fraction of a second and he was never completely gone.

Eddie's emotions seemed to wake him and he rumbled softly.

 _Yeah. She's looking for a good time. Not interested._

 _ **Do you think she would taste good?**_ Was the speculative question.

Eddie picked up the wicked sense of humor his symbiote had developed over time and barely refrained from grinning. The woman might think he was a lunatic; then again, it would get her off his case.

 _Only in very desperate times. The way she looks she brings up whatever she eats when no one's looking and claims good genes for this figure._

Venom chuckled. _**She looks like Anne.**_

Eddie almost rolled his eyes.

 _ **If you squint.**_

 _She doesn't. And you're not my wingman. You're also not a matchmaker. I don't want anything to do with her._

 _ **We can scare her off.**_

 _We will do no such thing. We're behaving. This is Anne's wedding._

Eddie untangled himself from the woman, whose name was apparently Jennifer, and just left her and her friend standing where they were. They would find someone else here, he was sure of that.

Venom sulked a little, but he was easily distracted by something else, especially when it involved food or the prospect of it.

"You're so easy," Eddie murmured under his breath as they carried a plate full of delicious finger food away from one of the many tables groaning with offerings.

Venom growled, offended, but the nudge at his hand to start eating was not hard to interpret.

XnXnXn

They stayed until late, and Eddie even got to dance with the bride. Venom was silent. He was very much present in his head, in his mind, in his thoughts, but there were no muttered side comments. He was happy to have all the chocolate he could stomach and he actually enjoyed himself. Eddie felt him everywhere in his body, spread out under his skin, enveloping him in a kind of safety net.

"So, what's planned for the honeymoon?" Eddie asked when he led Anne back to the table.

"Nothing special. Dan's got a few days off, so do I, and we might go on a cruise."

"You call that nothing special?" he teased.

"It's not Europe."

"Yeah, well." They had planned that once. Eddie had botched that one up, too. He shrugged. "Maybe for the anniversary."

Anne squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Eddie. For coming to the wedding, for staying, for all of this. And thank you, Venom."

The symbiote listened up.

"For keeping him safe," Anne added, now addressing him directly.

 _ **You're my host. Why would I not keep you safe?**_

 _Just… fly with it,_ Eddie advised. _She knows it, but sometimes things have to be expressed. Verbally. Or otherwise._

"I think I have to thank you for so much more," he replied seriously. "You and Dan. I owe you. Not that this is my way of paying it back," he quickly added. "I wanted to come. Really. It's just… you two have lived with my shit for a while now… well, our shit… I couldn't have done a lot of this without you."

Anne's smile was warm, open, so very much the Anne he had fallen in love with so many years ago.

"We both have our own lives, with someone we care very much about."

Venom shifted inside him and Eddie felt the slide of a tendril around his wrist. It was hidden from sight since Eddie had his shirt sleeves down.

"I don't want to lose either of you, Eddie. Both Dan and I care. You can always count on us."

He swallowed and nodded. "Thanks. I mean it. From both of us."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You were always my best friend. That hasn't changed. Ever."

"Thanks," he replied softly. "Mrs. Doctor Lewis."

She laughed and shook her head.

XnXnXn

Eddie drove home on his bike, enjoying the night, the air, the sense of freedom. Venom was right under his skin, silently riding along. He enjoyed it as much as his host.

They passed by a few of their usual patrol routes, but there was nothing suspicious.

Eddie parked his bike in the garage and stretched, yawning. It had been an eventful day and he was tired. Bed sounded rather good right now.

Venom coalesced into his deep sea horror form and reached for the remote as Eddie fell onto the mattress. The TV switched on and the symbiote deftly flipped through the channels until he found his latest favorite: a cook show.

"Keep the salivating to a minimum. And I don't want to wake up to an email box full of order confirmations on weird food stuff."

 _ **"You loved the Kobe beef."**_

"I hated the snails."

 _ **"But you enjoyed the beef ribs."**_

"The roasted, chocolate covered insects were disgusting!"

 _ **"You didn't mind the Wagyu."**_

"And you just had to order lobster! I was about to throw up!"

There was a smug expression on Venom's face. _**"It tastes so much better cooked and with butter than raw."**_

"All of that stuff, tasty or not, was hellishly expensive and we're not having that argument again." Eddie squinted at the nightmarish face. "My rules."

Venom chuffed, but along the bond Eddie felt his agreement. His rules because of the body they shared.

XnXnXn

He fell asleep to the soft waves of Venom's excitement over whatever was the latest challenge on the show. It was a background noise he was used to.

And even if there was a package order in his inbox tomorrow, something weird and probably very disgusting, he might not even yell. Much.

XnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXnXn

Six months had passed since their abduction. Eddie still had no memories of that time. At least until he had woken up in his prison cell, alone, without his symbiote, and everything had gone to hell not much later.

There had been no more traces of Tri and Eddie had finally decided to stop the search. Should the group resurface somewhere, anywhere, they would be on them like fleas on a dog. And Venom could be one very vicious flea.

Both of them, host and symbiote, had grown closer since then. Eddie understood what a bond-host meant for a symbiote and he had a deeper understanding what it meant for Venom. The loser.

Not anymore.

Neither of them was.

They sat on top of the Golden Gate, their eyes on the city below. It was beautiful, lit up in the darkness, a faint fog creeping in on the bay, with moving lights that were cars and trucks dotting the otherwise silent streets.

Their city.

Venom protected San Francisco, kept the streets clean, was a monster, was a hero, was a shadow. They were a nightmare come true. Still, many thought them to be a ghost, a rumor, and they took over where vacancies had started to appear in the criminal underworld.

Some even tried to hunt the terrifying monster, but Venom had yet to encounter anything really permanently harmful to them.

Eddie couldn't suppress a shudder of discomfort completely. Even after such a long time he hadn't gotten used to it. There was this primal fear in him, this inexplicable, illogical fear. He knew he was absolutely safe, could trust Venom, but…

He was high up, the wind much stronger than below on street level, and he still wasn't good with heights. Probably never would be.

 _ **I'd never let you fall**_ , Venom rumbled, that sinister tone more comforting than anyone would ever believe.

"I know. I know. It's just… well, me. Human stuff. Until three years ago falling would have made me gone splat. That's hard to ignore. Even now. Survival instinct and all."

 _ **You have enough experiences to draw from. We have never gone splat, as you put it.**_

Eddie smiled a little within the bond. No, they hadn't. He hadn't.

 _ **I like watching our city from here. It is beautiful.**_

"Hm, yeah. There are worse places."

Like New York.

Venom snorted in amusement. He knew about New York, about Eddie getting fired there, about moving to San Francisco for a new start.

More fog crawled in and the bridge below started to disappear. Sounds were muffled. It was almost like they were on a different world, on a different plane of existence.

It was peaceful.

 _ **I'm hungry.**_

And the moment was broken.

Eddie chuckled. "That's news…"

Annoyance radiated through him. He mentally stepped back, left his symbiote in charge as they easily jumped off the, for him, extreme heights and into the nothingness. Venom shot out tendrils of himself, swinging over the meagre traffic like a vicious shadow, barely even seen, and they headed for the shadier, seedier parts of town.

There was always a murderer to take down, a hit man to dispose of, a dealer or trafficker that had it coming. Yeah, his moral compass was way beyond screwed, but it was a compromise. Venom didn't eat innocent people, listened to Eddie on who was game and who not, and Eddie would compartmentalize what came after that.

It had worked for the past two years, with a heavy supplement of chocolate. There was no need for Coulson's 'offerings'. Not even as a last resort, Eddie had decided.

Venom poked a little. _**Food?**_

He chuckled. "How about steak, blue, from that corner restaurant?"

Venom smacked his lips.

Eddie grinned. "Candle light dinner it is," he teased.

 _ **I like their death by chocolate desserts. The Triple Dark Chocolate Delite with the chocolate covered coffee beans is my favorite.**_

"You would. Those desserts will be the death of me."

Then again, he hadn't gained an ounce of weight. Venom metabolized the food and nothing stuck to Eddie that wasn't needed to keep him functioning. As long as chocolate and the occasional die hard criminal worked, Eddie wouldn't touch Coulson's pills for a very long stick.

They made it to a dark alley without being seen. Venom melted back into his host and Eddie walked out of the side street, heading for the twenty-four hour steak house.

XnXnXn

He went home after a delicious meal of a triple XL steak, carrying a large box full of sinfully decadent brownie desserts. No one had blinked an eye at his to-go order. Eddie picked up a paper. It was the early edition since it was already past three am.

He skimmed over the headlines and found his article right there on the front page. He grinned.

XnXnXn

None of the dessert made it into the fridge. Venom was way too delighted to wolf it all down. Eddie ate his own share, aware that the symbiote was happily absorbing the important chemical components right from his stomach.

He checked his inbox and his schedule. He had a meeting with his editor this afternoon, so it was time for a nap. Work later.

Venom agreed, curling up inside him to digest and doze.

They would patrol again tonight, scare the bad element, showing them there was always something worse, something with more teeth, more hunger, a real nightmare out there.

San Francisco wasn't New York or L.A. or Chicago, but it was their town. They protected it.

What had Coulson called them? Lethal? The lethal protector? He liked that. It fit them. It was them.

Eddie felt Venom's grin form deep inside and he mirrored it, just with less needle sharp teeth and insanely wide, gaping maw.

Yeah. That was them.


End file.
